NASA launched the crewed spacecraft Artemis II on Thursday, taking its first step toward deep space exploration. Analysts say the fierce space race between the United States and China will intensify further.
According to major international media reports on Friday, the U.S.-China space competition lies behind NASA's return to the Moon — a destination it visited six times more than 50 years ago through the Apollo program. China set an early goal of landing Chinese astronauts on the Moon by 2030 under its "space rise" ambition. It launched the Chang'e lunar exploration program — named after the Chinese moon goddess — in 2004, sent the unmanned probe Chang'e 1 in 2007, and landed Chang'e 3 on the near side of the Moon in 2013.
China then made history in 2018 when Chang'e 4 became the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the Moon, invisible from Earth. In 2024, China's Chang'e 6 probe became the first in the world to collect and return soil samples from the lunar far side. This year, China plans to become the first to confirm the existence of water on the Moon through water and ice exploration at the lunar south pole. Because China has methodically advanced through each stage of lunar exploration over a long period, its plan to return humans to the Moon's surface before 2030 has a strong chance of succeeding. Michael Griffin, former NASA administrator, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives in December last year, noting, "We've already spent a lot of time, and we may not be able to get back to the Moon before China lands there first."
This is not simply a matter of who arrives first. It leads directly to the question of claiming lunar resources.
Fox News, citing expert opinions, noted, "China's plans won't take long," adding, "Even if China merely replicates a human Moon landing, it will celebrate a propaganda victory in deep space exploration and could claim ownership of polar ice." Water in ice form at the lunar poles is a valuable resource that could be used for drinking water, equipment cooling, and oxygen production at future lunar bases.
This urgency has put the United States under pressure. Although the U.S. announced the Artemis program in 2019, returning to the Moon after roughly 50 years was no easy goal. The original plan called for a Moon landing in 2024, but a series of issues caused repeated delays.
U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in December last year directing NASA to land American astronauts on the Moon by 2028 and establish a lunar base by 2030. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has also pledged to land astronauts on the Moon again during Trump's term. Following Artemis II's confirmation that a crewed spacecraft can safely orbit the Moon and return, NASA plans to proceed with Artemis III for lunar lander rendezvous and docking, followed by Artemis IV to send astronauts to the Moon's surface.
The next phase envisions construction of a permanent lunar base. Last month, NASA abruptly canceled the Gateway lunar orbital space station project and announced plans to spend $20 billion (approximately 30 trillion won) over seven years to build a base on the Moon. The plan calls for three phases to enable permanent human habitation. The cancellation of the already well-advanced space station project is also interpreted as driven by considerations over lunar resource ownership. The Los Angeles Times explained, "Both the U.S. and China are eyeing the south pole, a strategic stronghold on the lunar surface," adding, "Whichever country builds a base at the polar region first could claim ownership of the area." This is expected to serve as a first step toward extending beyond the Moon to Mars, Jupiter, and deeper into space.
The United States harbors the grand ambition of becoming the first to send humans to Mars. While NASA's robotic spacecraft and orbiters have observed Mars, no astronaut has ever explored the Martian surface in person. Recently, NASA announced plans to launch a nuclear-powered spacecraft bound for Mars by the end of 2028. The mission would also use a helicopter carried aboard the spacecraft to identify potential human landing sites. Before all of this, human astronauts will first visit the relatively well-explored lunar orbit and surface. NASA expects that experience to be applicable to Mars exploration. NASA Administrator Isaacman told CBS, "It will pave the way for astronauts who will plant the American flag on Mars."