According to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Administrator Jared Isaacman, the United States is “very much in a space race” with China. Both countries are hoping to land humans on the moon soon and establish permanent military bases there.
During an interview with ‘Face the Nation’ on CBS on Sunday, Isaacman stressed that the Chinese “will land their taikonauts on the Moon – there’s no question.” Beijing’s lunar program is “moving at incredible speeds,” he added.
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“The question is – will the US return before them and will we do so in a different way this time? Will we build the base, establish that enduring presence? I think the answer is yes,” the NASA chief said. Isaacman added that the American and Chinese timelines for putting humans on the Moon are very close to each other. “They are thinking in 2029, we’re saying end of 2028 is when we’re targeting the landing. That’s months, not years,” he explained.
NASA also has plans to build a base on the moon, creating what will likely be a permanent military post in space, although he did not specifically say that it would be used for war.
NASA will also begin building a lunar base in 2027, so when astronauts reach the surface, “there’s going to be a buggy there, a lunar terrain vehicle; there’s going to be a start of infrastructure,” Isaacman said. “But I would say, 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 added.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun denied that China is in a space race with the US, accoridng to a report by RT. Guo reiterated earlier this year that “space is not an arena for major-country contest.”
China has also expanded its cooperation in space with Russia in recent years. In 2021, the two countries announced the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project, with Russia seeking to build a power station on the Moon to provide energy for a base within the next decade.
These all appear to be military projects. Space wars could be next as countries fight over territory to rule as they expand in the solar system. Obviously, that could be off base; however, with the US involved, it’s highly unlikely.