NASA chief warns China could beat US in race to return astronauts to the Moon

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said China could get astronauts back to the lunar surface ahead of the United States, framing the contest as a live space race with Beijing moving faster than expected. "The Chinese will send astronauts to the Moon — that is an indisputable fact. The question is whether the United States can return before they do," Isaacman said, according to a CNN interview reported by Turkish media. He added that the U.S. retains the capacity to prevail, saying: "We are clearly in a space race right now, and China is moving at a remarkable pace." The warning comes as NASA faces delays in its Artemis lunar program. Carlos Garcia Galan, manager of NASA's Moon base program, said in late June that the agency still lacks sufficient knowledge to safely land astronauts on the Moon and build a base there. The crewed Artemis 3 landing, initially targeted for 2027, has been pushed back to 2028, with routine uncrewed lunar flights planned for 2027, reliable surface access in 2029, the first Moon base in 2032 and an astronaut surface mission also in 2032. The United States last landed astronauts on the Moon during the Apollo program between 1969 and 1972, with six crewed landings and 12 astronauts walking on the lunar surface.