Among the many industries that China and the USA are competing in, space is a rising battleground. The two countries that have tried their best to form a bond in trade and truth but remain contentious in spirit. China is rapidly advancing its lunar exploration program and is expected to eventually send taikonauts to the Moon, as per media reports.The revelation was made by Jared Isaacman, head of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), during an appearance on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on CBS. According to him, the United States and China are now in a new phase of space competition, particularly in preparations for the future crewed lunar missions. However, the central question is which country will successfully return humans to the Moon first. “Of course, we are in a space race right now, and China is moving at an incredible speed. There is no doubt that Chinese taikonauts will land on the Moon. The real question is whether the U.S. will get back there before they do,” he said.Moreover, he underlined that this competition is not just symbolic, but could shape the future of space exploration, resource utilisation on the Moon and even long-term human presence beyond Earth. “The Chinese are moving at incredible speeds, and they are certainly capable of doing what the Soviets were not during the first space race,” he added.At the same time Carlos Garcia-Galan, head of NASA’s lunar base program expressed concerns about the US’s readiness for upcoming crewed lunar missions. The schedule for NASA’s Artemis has already been shifted several times with the planned 2027 landing under Artemis III being delayed to 2028, which is now expected to occur under Artemis IV. Isaacman outlined that on Artemis III, “three of the world’s most powerful rockets will come together and test out their capabilities in Earth orbit,” in what he called “very a la Apollo 9” fashion, to give NASA “the confidence in our landers for Artemis IV in 2028.”For this NASA has planned to establish a lunar presence step by step. By 2029, the agency hopes to provide astronauts with regular access to the lunar surface for scientific research and technology testing. Later, the goal is to begin building basic infrastructure for a permanent lunar base. By around 2032, NASA envisions maintaining a continuous human presence on the Moon. “But I would say, early 2030s, the moon is going to be like the International Space Station,” said Issacman. “You’re going to have crews that are there on pretty extended periods of time, as we learn in that environment and prepare for Mars.”Interestingly, analysts note that this space race is different from the Cold War era. Currently, the competition is not only about global prestige but also about access to strategic resources such as lunar water ice, which could be used for fuel production. It is also about establishing early infrastructure for future missions to Mars.Thus, the journey to the Moon is not the destination, but more like a jump start.
