US in renewed Moon race with China, timeline now measured in months: NASA chief

Washington: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has said the United States is in a renewed race with China to return astronauts to the Moon, warning that the competition is now measured “in months, not years” as both nations accelerate plans to establish a sustained human presence beyond Earth.

Speaking in an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation as the United States marked the 250th anniversary of its independence, Isaacman said there should be no doubt that Beijing intends to land astronauts on the Moon, making it imperative for Washington to move quickly.

“It is not arguably. Like, there — we are very much in a space race right now, and the Chinese are moving at incredible speeds,” he said. “The Chinese will land their taikonauts on the moon. There’s no question. The question is, will the United States return before them.”

Isaacman said the Trump administration had made lunar exploration a national priority by providing what he described as a “historic investment” for NASA’s Artemis programme.

“We are going back,” he said. “It will be an unbelievable display.” He added that Artemis III is planned for next year and would be followed by Artemis IV in 2028, when astronauts are expected to land on the lunar surface after testing new landing systems in Earth orbit.

Describing the strategic challenge posed by China, Isaacman said, “They said before 2030… we’re saying end of 2028 is when we’re targeting the landing. That is months, not years.”

Beyond returning astronauts to the Moon, NASA’s long-term objective is to establish a permanent lunar presence that would serve as a stepping stone for future missions to Mars.

Isaacman said infrastructure for a lunar base would begin arriving as early as 2027. By 2028, he said, astronauts should find equipment already waiting for them on the Moon, including a lunar terrain vehicle and the beginnings of permanent infrastructure.

“Early 2030s, the moon is going to be like the International Space Station. 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,” he said.

The NASA chief also defended the growing role of private companies in America’s space programme, saying commercial launch providers had transformed the economics of space exploration.

Referring to an experimental mission to rescue NASA’s ageing Swift space telescope, he said relatively inexpensive commercial launches could extend the lives of scientific missions that previously would have required costly replacements.

Isaacman also addressed concerns over delays involving Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket after its recent launch failure. He said NASA was assisting the company with the investigation while ensuring work on future lunar missions continued.

“They’re going to solve that,” he said. “NASA’s there to help.”

The Artemis programme is NASA’s flagship effort to return humans to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era. Unlike the Apollo missions, Artemis aims to establish a sustained human presence on the lunar surface through international partnerships and commercial space companies before eventually sending astronauts to Mars.

IANS