Industry
The race to Shackleton Crater is on—will Jeff Bezos or China get there first?
The U.S. and China are each planning to land spacecraft near the Moon's Shackleton crater in 2026, with whoever arrives first securing the best access to its water ice resources. Blue Origin's Blue Mo
The U.S. and China are each planning to land spacecraft near the Moon's Shackleton crater in 2026, with whoever arrives first securing the best access to its water ice resources. Blue Origin's Blue Moon MK1 lander is scheduled for early 2026 launch aboard the New Glenn rocket, while China's Chang'e 7 mission is planned for August 2026. The crater's permanently shadowed interior harbors water ice that could support a sustained lunar presence and enable in-space rocket fuel production.
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Source: Ars Technica | 2026-04-16