'The Chinese have really caught up': Why NASA is in race to land astronauts on the moon
But what's the rush to return to a place the United States has already been and left 53 years ago? Especially when Mars looms as an enticing option for interplanetary travel.
Space experts say there's plenty of reasons for the urgency: national pride and national security. But also returning to the moon and building habitats would mean long term dominance in space and ensure access to resources that NASA didn't know where there when the Apollo missions flew. Now with the Chinese making significant progress in human space exploration, the clock is ticking.
'The Chinese in the last 20 years have made amazing strides in all aspects of space. They're sending robots to the moon on a very regular basis. Now they're doing some pretty amazing activities even on the far side of the moon, and they have a Chinese space station now in Earth orbit,' said Don Platt, associate professor of space systems at Florida Tech.
'The Chinese have really caught up,' said Platt. 'I do believe that the Chinese are definitely advancing their efforts on the moon, and are identifying it as a critical aspect of their strategic future in space."
When asked about the prospect of Chinese astronauts making it to the moon before NASA's planned Artemis III mission, Platt said he believes it's a possibility and he cited the efforts China is making to highlight the importance of the nation's space efforts to its own populace.
'They have some amazing videos. They're really engaging the Chinese public, and really using it to do what what we've always done in space, and that is to inspire the next generation and to show the world the technical abilities of the Chinese,' said Platt.
Platt also told FLORIDA TODAY that there was a recent announcement that China and Russia plan to team up on a nuclear power plant on the moon, which would provide sustained power. This means the countries are planning an eventual continuous human presence on the moon.
'The US has always used space as sort of what we could call the ultimate high ground, making sure the US is dominate in space, and you can't be dominant in space if another country is building bases on the moon," Platt said.
James Muncy, founder of PoliSpace, a space policy organization, told FLORIDA TODAY in an email that it's settlement on the moon that's key.
"In my opinion, what matters is not which country can land astronauts first, but which nation most aggressively pursues industrial development and human settlement of the moon," wrote Muncy. "If in 25 years there are 500 Americans living on the moon with more visiting at any one time and we are harvesting Helium 3 to cool quantum state computers and oxygen from the lunar 'soil' as the heaviest part of rocket fuel to help send missions to Mars, then we win the MARATHON."
"It really doesn't matter if we get the first two astronauts (ignoring the 12 that went during Apollo) back to the Moon if in a few decades we only have a few NASA astronauts living and working there. Or worse yet, have retreated again because of the high cost of using Orion and SLS to get there," Muncy wrote.
Platt compared the situation to what would have happened if the first European settlers in North America had never returned to the New World. Had that happened, there would be no United States. If America cedes the moon, it not only gives up leadership in space, but the moon's recourses and potential, he said.
There are natural resources, such as water ice, on the lunar surface. This is something NASA did not know back when the Apollo missions took place. And with much still to learn about how the human body performs in space, Platt believes the moon is a natural stepping stone for exploration before heading to Mars.
While traveling to the moon could take just days, a trip to Mars will take many months.
NASA's only available option of getting astronauts to the moon is the much delayed and 140% over budget SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, which will fly the Artemis missions.
NASA's SLS rocket launched on the uncrewed Artemis I mission in late 2022. Ever since that flight, delays have pushed the target dates for Artemis II out further. Artemis II aims to send NASA astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, whereas Artemis III is the moon landing.
But multiple years have passed since the stacked SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft have sat on Pad 39B. But progress is being made. The Orion spacecraft, which has seen its own delays, was recently brought into the Kennedy Space Center's giant Vehicle Assembly Building to be mounted on the rocket for the planned launch in spring of 2026.
"Several leaders in Congress, particularly Chairman Brian Babin of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee, and Chairman Ted Cruz of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, have stressed that, in their opinion, the fastest way for the U.S. to return astronauts to the lunar surface is to fly Artemis II and Artemis III as soon as possible," wrote Muncy.
The Trump administration has proposed cutting NASA's budget, but plans continue for Artemis II and Artemis III. Should the Trump administration's proposals pass, SLS and the Orion spacecraft would be axed in favor of more cost effective options past Artemis III.
Platt noted how the delayed SLS became a politicized "pork program" which saw states get funding money and jobs even as the goals constantly slipped. But now with China a valid threat, the tone is changing although still not everyone is convinced Artemis is the way to go.
'Unfortunately, it has continuously been behind schedule and over budget. And we haven't really gotten what we wanted to out of Artemis,' said Platt. 'I would definitely not want to see the United States stop the goals of human lunar space exploration, but the program, I do think needs to be revamped."
Artemis II was originally set to launch later this year, but now is targeting spring of next year.
Artemis III, which will return NASA astronauts to the moon, is heavily reliant on Artemis II being successful. It is also heavily dependent on SpaceX's Starship being ready to act as a human lander. So far, Starship has yet to even reach orbit — experiencing setbacks with the ship being lost less than 10 minutes into the last two test flights.
Meanwhile, NASA still awaits confirmation of its next administrator. Trump has nominated Jared Isaacman, a private astronaut with close ties to SpaceX's Elon Musk.
"Trump and Isaacman are going to let NASA complete the initial objective of returning astronauts to the moon using Orion and SLS," wrote Muncy. "But then we have to move to faster/better/cheaper ways to get a lot of Americans and stuff there so we can build a first base and then another and start industrializing cislunar space."
But in order for this to happen, everything needs to align.
This wouldn't be the first time America fell behind in space, Platt pointed out. The Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik, and also claimed the first man to reach not just space but orbit. Both of those events sparked a strong reaction amongst the American public.
When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Axiom, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
'If we look back at the Apollo program, President Kennedy decided to have the United States pursue goals on the moon because he thought that was enough out as a goal that the Soviets didn't have a major advantage," Platt said. "And honestly, the way we are right now, I would say it's similar that the Chinese are almost able to compete on equal footing with the US in terms of lunar exploration and pursuing lunar endeavors in the future, especially leading up to even humans on the moon."
Platt said he believes that if America were to wake up and see China has landed on the moon, it would instantly trigger another space race.
'People would say 'What happened to us? We were leaders in space, and now there's a Chinese flag on the moon. This is outrageous, and we've got to do something',' said Platt.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: New Space Race with China: NASA pushes to return to moon first
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
24 minutes ago
- CNET
The James Webb Space Telescope Has Found a New Moon Orbiting Uranus
No joke: Science has found a new teeny, tiny moon orbiting Uranus. NASA announced on Tuesday that the James Webb Space Telescope found yet another moon floating around Uranus, an ice giant that already had 13 other known moons. The discovery was made thanks to images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. A team out of the Southwest Research Institute noticed an unfamiliar object that appeared to be orbiting around Uranus. The images have been stitched together in a slideshow on YouTube that shows the moon, which orbits much closer around Uranus than its 13 other known moons. "This object was spotted in a series of 10 40-minute long-exposure images captured by the Near-Infrared Camera," said lead scientist Maryame El Moutamid. "It's a small moon but a significant discovery, which is something even NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft didn't see during its flyby nearly 40 years ago." In terms of size, this moon is indeed small at around six miles in diameter. For reference, Earth's moon is 2,159 miles in diameter and the largest moon in our solar system, Jupiter's Ganymede, is 3,270 miles. The moon also has a circular orbit, per the SwRI team, meaning that it likely formed in the same area where it currently orbits. Uranus' 14th moon orbits closer to its rings than most of the other moons. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, M. El Moutamid (SwRI), M. Hedman (University of Idaho). Animation: J. DePasquale (STScI) Better name TBA Despite obtaining a 14th moon, which NASA is calling S/2025 U1, Uranus has a long way to go to compete with Jupiter and Saturn, which have 95 and 274 confirmed moons, respectively. However, Uranus is the king of tiny moons. "No other planet has as many small inner moons as Uranus," said Matthew Tiscareno, research member of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. Since S/2025 U1 is so much smaller than the known moons, Tiscareno posits that there may be even more small moons drifting around that have yet to be discovered. NASA does note that this research hasn't been peer-reviewed yet, so the for-now clunkily named S/2025 U1 may be yet dismissed as a non-moon. However, if it is confirmed, the moon will receive a (better, we hope) name from the International Astronomical Union and become completely official.
Scientific American
an hour ago
- Scientific American
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Discovers New Moon of Uranus
Scientists have discovered a new, elusive moon around Uranus, making it the 29th natural satellite known to orbit the ice giant. The research team that made the discovery estimates that the moon, dubbed S/2025 U1 for now (at least, until the International Astronomical Union assigns an official name), is just 10 kilometers, or six miles, across, making it particularly small. 'I could walk around this moon,' says Heidi Hammel, a planetary scientist and astrophysicist, who was not involved in the research. In 1986 Voyager 2 flew within 81,800 km of Uranus's cloud tops and gave humans their first close-up glimpse of this giant planet. The spacecraft returned with images of 11 new moons, on top of the five that were already known. Since Voyager, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes have spotted other tiny moons—ones as little 12 to 16 km in diameter. But 'this one was so small and so faint and so close to the bright ring system around Uranus that we missed it,' Hammel says. On supporting science journalism subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. A team led by the Southwest Research Institute detected the moon in images captured by the high-resolution Near-Infrared Camera on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) during a series of 10 40-minute-long exposures. 'The cameras on [JWST] are very sensitive,' Hammel says. 'They were designed to see the faintest galaxies in the universe,' as well as faint things that are close to very bright ones (such as the planet Uranus). NASA announced the moon's discovery today via a blog post. 'One of the reasons this moon is interesting is that it's very close to the main ring system,' Hammel says. Unlike Saturn's rings, which are packed together, Uranus's rings are more like Hula-Hoops, with lots of separation between each. The rings cluster between a main inner system and a faint outer one, Hammel says, and researchers speculate that the rings are sculpted by the planet's little orbiting moons. There are still many questions about the new minuscule moon for astronomers to explore: How does it compare with other moons? What is its color and composition? JWST might help answer a few of these questions. But regardless of what comes next, the discovery shows 'how we can extend the horizons of our knowledge, even in our own solar system, using an advanced telescope like JWST,' Hammel says. 'And it helps us get a better understanding of what drives the phenomena in our solar system—like ''What is crafting that ring system around the planet Uranus?''
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Don't miss Mercury, the moon and the Beehive Cluster align in a special August morning sky show
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), a legendary writer of science and science fiction, once noted in "The Solar System and Back," that the planet Mercury is rarely visible when it is truly dark. "I suspect, in fact," he observed, "that many people today (when the horizon is generally much dirtier and the sky much hazier with the glare of artificial light than it was in centuries past) have never seen Mercury." In pre-Christian times, Mercury had two names, as it was not realized that it could alternately appear on one side of the sun and then the other. When visible in the evening sky, it was called Mercury and when appearing as a morning star, it was known as Apollo. It was Pythagoras, around the 5th century B.C., who first recognized that Mercury and Apollo were the same celestial body. A fine viewing window is now open Mercury is indeed clever at escaping detection. It is said that the astronomer Copernicus never saw the planet. Yet you can find it, if you know where to look. As the innermost planet, Mercury is usually masked by the sun's glare, so we must look for Mercury either soon after sunset, or in the case we are discussing here, just before sunrise. On the morning of Tuesday morning (Aug. 19), Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation, meaning it's at its maximum apparent distance from the sun. To catch a glimpse, set your alarm for 45 minutes before sunrise and look low toward the east-northeast horizon. First, you'll spot brilliant Venus. About one and a half fist‑widths (approximately 15°) lower left of Venus, look for a bright, yellowish point of light, Mercury. Skinny moon points the way on Thursday On Thursday morning (Aug. 21), besides Venus, there will be another celestial object to guide you to Mercury. That will be our moon. The moon will appear as a very slender sliver of light, only 4% illuminated and less than two days before the new phase. It will be positioned 5 degrees (half a fist) above Mercury. Binoculars will make things a bit easier to make a sighting, though sighting this very thin waning lunar crescent should be evident with the unaided eye. This morning Mercury will shine at magnitude -0.3. Among the stars, only Sirius and Canopus shine brighter, so once you locate the moon, sighting Mercury should be a relatively easy task. And although it swings back toward the sun after Aug. 18, it will continue to be visible until virtually the end of the month as it continues to brighten. By Aug. 28, it will have more than doubled in brightness, reaching a brilliant magnitude of -1. Beehive buzzes nearby TOP TELESCOPE PICK Want to view the night sky up close? The Celestron NexStar 8SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look, check out our Celestron NexStar 8SE review. Besides viewing the moon and Mercury with binoculars on Aug. 21, there will be another celestial sight to look for that morning. Try looking for it when the twilight sky is not so bright, roughly an hour or more before sunrise. Located about 2 degrees below the hairline-thin moon will be M44, one of the sky's finest open clusters. Popularly known as the Beehive, it's also one of the nearest open clusters at a distance of 500 light-years. Binoculars are ideal for examining this wide, interesting star field. Its central group of stars is arranged into rough rows that form a generally triangular shape, suggesting an old-fashioned beehive. For centuries, M44 has also been known as Praesepe, Latin for "Manger." Pressing close to it are the two stars that supposedly represented the Northern and Southern Donkeys: Asellus Borealis and Australis. Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, Sky and Telescope and other publications.
