More than half a century after the United States put humans on the moon, it is once again locked in a space race. This one is with China.

在实现人类登月半个多世纪后，美国再次卷入了一场太空竞赛，而这一次的对手，是中国。

NASA sent astronauts on a lunar flyby on Wednesday, a milestone toward grander ambitions. Both the United States and China want to build outposts around the moon’s south pole and hope to tap frozen water, hydrogen and helium there. Both countries plan to build nuclear reactors to power lunar bases from which they can launch missions into deep space.

NASA于周三将航天员送入绕月轨道，这是迈向更宏伟目标的一个里程碑。中美两国都计划在月球南极附近建立前哨基地，希望开采那里的冰冻水、氢与氦资源；双方均规划建造核反应堆，为月球基地供能，并从那里发射深空探测任务。

It is a new frontier, and whoever gets there first will have a big say in setting the rules.

这是一片全新的前沿领域，谁先抵达，谁就将在规则制定中拥有更大的话语权。

NASA’s program, known as Artemis, has hit repeated snags. The United States wants to be back on the moon by 2028, two years ahead of China’s target, but even NASA acknowledges that it may not win.

NASA的计划名为“阿尔忒弥斯”，屡屡遭遇阻碍。美国计划在2028年前重返月球，比中国的既定目标早两年，但就连NASA自己也承认，这场竞赛它未必能赢。

“They may be early,” Jared Isaacman, the NASA administrator, said last week. “And recent history suggests we might be late.”

“他们很可能提前完成计划，”NASA局长贾里德·艾萨克曼上周表示。“而过往的记录告诉我们，我们大概率会延期。”

China is pursuing its lunar ambitions with a singular, formidable focus. Its program has several advantages over its American rivals.

中国正以一种独特而强大的专注力推进着自己的登月愿景。与美国的竞争对手相比，中国的探月工程拥有多项独特优势。

Experts say China’s edge lies in its centralized control, which allows it to plan and fund projects for decades at a time. Its robotic space missions have already gone where the United States has not.

专家表示，中国的核心优势在于集中的管控机制，这让它能够为项目制定数十年的长期规划和资金投入。中国的机器人航天探测任务已经抵达了美国从未涉足的区域。

China is the only nation to land on and retrieve samples from the far side of the moon, the hemisphere that always faces away from Earth. This summer, China’s seventh robotic mission, Chang’e 7, will explore the lunar south pole.

中国是全球唯一一个在月球背面（即永远背向地球的一面）实现软着陆并完成采样返回的国家。今年夏天，中国第七次月球机器人探测任务“嫦娥七号”将奔赴月球南极开展探测。

It helps China that its immediate ambition is leaner. Chinese astronauts plan to land on the relatively accessible near side of the moon. That’s where Neil Armstrong took “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” in 1969.

另一个对中国有利的因素是，中国现阶段的核心目标更为务实。中国航天员计划率先在登陆难度相对较低的月球近侧着陆，1969年尼尔·阿姆斯特朗正是在这里，迈出了“对个人来说是一小步，对全人类来说是巨大的一步”。

American astronauts are aiming for the moon’s south pole.

美国航天员的目标则是月球南极。

A recent program overhaul could speed Artemis along. The new plan includes more launches to test components, gain confidence and lower risks, Mr. Isaacman said. After returning astronauts to the moon, NASA plans to launch missions every six months and sustain a presence there.

近期的项目调整有望加快阿尔忒弥斯计划的推进节奏。艾萨克曼表示，新方案包含更多发射任务，用于测试组件、增强信心、降低风险。在实现航天员重返月球后，NASA计划每半年执行一次发射任务，并在月球上维持存在。

“This time the goal is not flags and footprints,” Mr. Isaacman said. “This time the goal is to stay.”

“这一次，我们的目标不是插上国旗、留下脚印，”艾萨克曼说。“这一次，我们的目标是长久驻留。”

China is pursuing similar goals through two programs that will likely merge: Crewed missions under the military’s purview, and civilian robotic missions.

中国正通过两个可能合二为一的项目追求类似目标：分别是军方主导的载人航天任务，以及民用领域的机器人任务。

Both programs rely on components built mainly by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, an enterprise that combines industry and military expertise. That means they share key technologies.

这两大项目所使用的核心组件，主要由中国航天科技集团有限公司研制生产。这家企业兼具工业与军事专长，意味着两大项目共享关键技术。

NASA relies more heavily on private vendors.

NASA则更依赖私营商业航天供应商。

Yuqi Qian, a lunar geologist at the University of Hong Kong who works on China’s lunar missions, said that because China’s first crewed mission is treading some of the same ground covered by Apollo missions long ago, scientists have more freedom to experiment. Chinese exploration programs will keep moving at a cadence set years earlier, regardless of what Artemis does, he said.

参与中国探月任务的香港大学月球地质学家钱煜奇表示，由于中国首次载人登月任务在一定程度上重走阿波罗任务多年前走过的路，科研人员拥有更大的实验自由度。他表示，无论阿尔忒弥斯计划进展如何，中国的探月工程都将按照数年前定下的节奏稳步推进。

“There is actually no burden on the Chinese side,” Dr. Qian said in an interview. “We are doing this more freely.”

“中方其实没有任何压力，”钱煜奇在采访中表示。“我们更自由地开展这项工作。”

“I don’t think China regards this as a race,” he added.

“我不认为中国把这件事当成一场竞赛，”他还说。

Here’s what we know about China’s crewed lunar mission, and how its components compare to their NASA counterparts.

以下是我们所了解的关于中国载人登月任务的详细信息，以及其组件与NASA对应装备的对比。

The Launcher

运载火箭

China plans to use a government-built rocket, the Long March 10, for the moon landing. It is about as tall as a 30-story building and has seven engines at its base, the section known as the first stage.

中国计划使用政府研制的火箭“长征十号”执行载人登月任务。火箭高度约相当于30层楼，其底部（即芯一级）配备七台发动机。

In initial tests, Chinese scientists fired up the rocket’s engines while it was tethered in place. Then, in February, they fired five of the seven engines and launched the first stage to a height of just over 65 miles.

在前期测试中，中国科研人员完成了火箭发动机的地面系留点火试验。今年2月，科研人员完成七台发动机中的五台联合点火试验，将火箭芯一级发射至约合105公里的高度。

It splashed down in the sea, where scientists retrieved it.

最终箭体在海上溅落，被科研人员成功回收。

China is behind the United States on rocket technology, a gap that has slowed its bid to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network in low-earth orbit. China does not have a reusable rocket to match SpaceX’s Falcon 9.

中国的火箭技术整体落后于美国，这一差距也拖慢了它在近地轨道与SpaceX的星链卫星网络竞争的步伐。目前，中国尚无一款可重复使用火箭能对标SpaceX的猎鹰九号火箭。

Parts of the Long March 10 may eventually become reusable, but that matters less for lunar missions, which are less frequent than launches to put satellites in orbit.

长征十号的部分组件未来有望实现可重复使用，但这一点对登月任务的影响相对有限因为登月任务的发射频次，远低于近地轨道卫星发射任务。

The American launcher — the Space Launch System — is a marked improvement on the system that first sent astronauts to the moon. It is a powerful and complicated rocket cobbled together from components made by NASA and multiple contractors.

美国的运载火箭是太空发射系统(SLS)，相较于初代送人类登月的火箭，实现了显著的改进。这款火箭动力强劲、系统复杂，由NASA与多家承包商制造的组件整合而成。

The rocket has not been used many times, but on Wednesday, it blasted off for its first crewed mission against a backdrop of a clear blue sky. It was a big win for NASA and more frequent launches in the new Artemis plan are expected to work out any remaining kinks.

这款火箭的实际发射次数并不多，但在周三，它搭载航天员执行了首次载人任务发射，在澄澈的蓝天下直冲云霄。这是NASA的一次重大胜利，而按照阿尔忒弥斯计划的新方案，后续更频繁的发射将有助于解决剩余的技术问题。。

“It’s a big celebration in launch control for the rocket guys,” Amit Kshatriya, the NASA associate administrator, said after the launch.

“发射控制室里，火箭研发团队的所有人都在热烈庆祝，”NASA副局长阿米特·克沙特里亚在发射成功后表示。

“The rocket guys can go out and play now,” he said.

“火箭团队现在可以出去放松一下了，”他说。

The Spacecraft

飞船

China is developing a new spacecraft called the Mengzhou or “Dream Boat” that can carry up to seven astronauts. It is designed for both lunar missions and trips to the Chinese space station, about 280 miles above Earth.

中国正在研发新一代飞船“梦舟”，最多可搭载七名航天员，设计兼顾月球探测任务与距地约450公里的中国空间站往返任务。

The spacecraft will carry astronauts to a lunar orbit. Once there, it will rendezvous with a lander that will take the astronauts to the moon’s surface. China is planning to conduct the moon mission with two launches, in part because it does not have a big enough launcher.

该飞船将把航天员送入环月轨道，抵达预定轨道后与登月着陆器完成交会对接，再由着陆器将航天员送至月球表面。中国计划通过两次发射完成一次完整的载人登月任务，部分原因在于目前尚无足够大的运载火箭。

China will test the Dream Boat’s ability to rendezvous and dock with the Chinese space station later this year. Similar in-orbit meet-ups have already been tested in robotic missions to the moon.

今年晚些时候，中国将测试梦舟飞船与中国空间站的交会对接能力。类似的在轨交会对接技术已在机器人探月任务中完成验证。

Dream Boat passed its most recent test, in February, when it demonstrated its ability to abort within the first minutes of a launch. The spacecraft successfully detached from a rocket under maximum pressure conditions, according to government media.

今年2月，梦舟飞船完成了最新一次测试，验证了发射前数分钟内的中止任务能力。据官方媒体报道，在火箭在最大压力条件下，飞船成功与火箭分离。

The American spacecraft, Orion, was first tested in 2014 and is farther along in its development. Orion carried the four astronauts on the Artemis II mission on Wednesday. NASA will test its life support and environmental control systems during this mission.

美国的猎户座飞船于2014年完成首次测试，研发进度更为领先。在周三的阿尔忒弥斯二号任务中，猎户座飞船搭载四名航天员升空，NASA将在本次任务中，全面测试飞船的生命支持系统与环境控制系统。

The Lander

登月着陆器

Anyone who has watched footage of the Apollo 11 mission will remember the lander — a scientific wonder that looked like a janky assemblage of golden foil and flimsy metal.

任何看过阿波罗11号任务影像的人都会对那款着陆器印象深刻——它是一项科学奇迹，外观却像用金箔与轻薄金属板材拼凑而成的简易装置。

China’s version of the lunar lander, called Lanyue or “Embracing the Moon,” incorporates decades of improvements.

中国的登月着陆器名为“揽月”，融合了数十年的技术改进。

According to the mission design, after the astronauts hop aboard in orbit, the lander will head to the lunar surface. There, it will serve them as a temporary home, data center and energy source.

根据任务设计，航天员在环月轨道进入着陆器后，着陆器将带着他们降落到月球表面。在月面停留期间，着陆器将作为航天员的临时居所、数据处理中心与能源供给站。

For the astronauts’ return, the lander will take off and rendezvous with the spacecraft in the moon’s orbit .

航天员完成月面任务准备返回时，着陆器将从月面起飞，在环月轨道与载人飞船完成交会对接。

China tested a prototype in August, navigating to a surface that was built to imitate the moon’s craters and bumps.

去年8月，中国测试了一台原型机，在模拟月球陨石坑与崎岖地形的试验场完成了导航。

The U.S. does not have a lander yet, in part because of the complexity of its planned mission. SpaceX is developing its version, Starship, and will test it again in April. Blue Origin is developing another lander.

美国目前尚无可用的登月着陆器，部分原因是其规划的任务复杂度极高。SpaceX正在研发其星舰着陆器，计划于今年4月开展新一轮测试；蓝色起源公司也在研发另一款着陆器。

NASA plans to launch a mission called Artemis III next year that will test the landers' operation closer to Earth. The agency will go with whichever lander is ready first, according to Lori Glaze, a NASA official.

NASA计划在明年执行阿尔忒弥斯三号任务，在更接近地球的环境中测试着陆器的运行情况。NASA官员洛里·格雷兹表示，哪款着陆器率先就绪，就优先选用哪一款。

The Spacesuits

舱外航天服

Chinese astronauts will be fitted with spacesuits called Wangyu or “Gazing into the Cosmos” for their spacewalks.

中国航天员执行太空行走活动时将身着名为“望宇”的新一代舱外航天服。

Wangyu suits will be slimmer versions of the spacesuits used on the Chinese space station. They will have an anti-glare visor, a camera on each side of the helmet and a control consol on the chest.

望宇航天服是中国空间站现役舱外航天服的轻量化改进版本，配备防眩光面窗，头盔两侧各搭载一台摄像机，胸前设有操作控制台。

The suits’ design will echo traditional armor to make the astronauts look “more spirited and imposing,” one official told government media. The spacesuits are expected to undergo more testing this year.

一名官方人员对官媒表示，航天服的设计借鉴了中国传统铠甲的元素，让航天员看起来“更硬朗刚毅”。这款航天服预计将于今年开展更多测试。

The United States will upgrade its suits to make them more flexible and provide greater protection from the harsh environment on the moon. NASA has contracted for spacesuits that can support astronauts for up to eight hours outside their vehicle.

美国将对现役航天服进行全面升级，提升服装的灵活度，为航天员提供更强的防护，抵御月球的恶劣环境。NASA已签约采购的新款航天服，可支持航天员在舱外连续活动最长八小时。