CHINA’S ROBOTIC DOGS GEAR UP TO EXPLORE BENEATH THE MOON’S SURFACE

Sat 04 October 2025:

Chinese researchers are testing and training robotic dogs in preparation for future exploration beneath the moon’s surface, an area deemed ideal for human lunar bases, the South China Morning Post said in its report published on Thursday.

A team from Peking University’s school of computer science developed two specialized robotic dogs for the exploration mission and tested them in a cave in northeastern China that is “strikingly similar” to the lunar underground, the daily said.

The robotic dogs were used as “scouts” to conduct surveying tasks that humans cannot easily accomplish in narrow and nearly impassable passages.

Witnessing their performance in a “lunar-like lava tube environment” helped the researchers to improve the embodied intelligence technologies used in deep-space exploration, said Zhang Shanghang, a researcher at the university.

Zhang, who led the development of the two robotic dogs, explained that these models can find their way autonomously, avoid obstacles, create maps, and record high-precision 3D structures within caves.

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By 2030, China aims to land taikonauts using the Long March-10 rocket and Mengzhou-Lanyue spacecraft. Recent tests in 2025, including lunar lander simulations and robotic dogs for subsurface exploration, show progress.

With Russia, China’s building the International Lunar Research Station at the moon’s south pole, targeting water ice for fuel and life support, inviting global partners but not the U.S.U.S. Counter (20-40s): NASA’s Artemis program plans to land astronauts by 2026-2027, using SpaceX’s Starship for a sustainable base. But Starship’s test failures and budget cut threats under Trump could delay Artemis to 2028 or beyond.

The U.S. rallies allies via the Artemis Accords, yet fears China’s lead could lock them out of lunar resources.Why It Matters (40-60s): This race is for helium-3, water, and lunar dominance.

A Chinese victory could reshape space governance, boost Beijing’s global influence, and challenge U.S. leadership. NASA’s pushing hard, but funding and tech hurdles must be cleared to compete.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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