The New Space Race: America Versus China

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by MARK POWELL

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If you didn’t get to experience the drama and excitement of the original race to the moon in the 1960s, there’s good news: you’ve got a second chance.

And this time, the down-to-earth stakes couldn’t be higher for the United States.

Sixty years ago, it was NASA vs. Sovestkya Kosmicheskaya Programma (the U.S.S.R.’s space program) in a showdown for celestial supremacy. It was a thrilling time when astronauts were heroes hailed on the covers of Time magazine and celebrated on newsreels.

We not only beat the Soviets to the moon, but successfully made five return trips – the last one being almost 53 years ago.

“America’s challenge of today has forged man’s destiny of tomorrow,” astronaut Gene Cernan, commander of the Apollo 17 mission, stated prior to taking the last human steps on the moon on December 14, 1972.

Even before Apollo 17 launched, though, a curious thing happened. Most Americans lost interest in exploring the final frontier. A kind of “been there, done that” attitude toward space travel prevailed.

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True, NASA didn’t completely close up shop. There was the successful Apollo-Soyuz joint mission with the Soviet Union, Skylab and the space shuttle program – which launched numerous military and commercial satellites, a space telescope and the International Space Station. The innovations unleashed by these post-Apollo programs have played a significant role in creating the high-tech world we live in today.

Yet while most Americans contented themselves with gazing inward during the dawn of the cellular age, the rest of the world did not. Several other nations developed their own space programs, with Russia, India, and China eventually landing unmanned flights on the lunar surface. That last country, in particular, is sparking a new space race. And whether you realize it or not, it is on like Donkey Kong.

NASA recently announced that its Artemis II mission could launch as soon as next February. Artemis II is intended to be a stepping stone toward a long-term presence on the moon. Its 10-day mission onboard the Orion spacecraft (launched with NASA’s SLS rocket) will be a test run to see how well the spacecraft manages in orbit. Navigation, life support, communications and handling systems will all be checked out. There will even be a flyby of the moon for good measure.

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The plan is to return humans to the lunar surface in 2027 with Artemis III, possibly even to the moon’s South Pole.

Sounds laudable, right? But there’s a catch.

China is working overtime to land its own crew on the moon before we do. And it’s looking increasingly doubtful that NASA can overtake them. That’s because there are serious delays in the lunar lander now being designed by SpaceX, the company run by former DOGE head honcho Elon Musk.

Nevertheless, Sean Duffy – the U.S. transportation secretary who’s doing double duty as director of NASA – said while visiting NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston recently, “Some are challenging our leadership in space, say, like the Chinese… We love competition, and we are going to win the second race back to the moon.”

A bold prediction or bluff talk? It depends on who you ask.

Former NASA chief Jim Bridenstine told a congressional committee two weeks ago it is “highly unlikely” the U.S can beat China to the moon. (Although he added the all-important caveat, “unless something changes.”)

China’s space program is cloaked in the same secrecy that shields all aspects of that totalitarian state. Publicly, it has vowed to touchdown on the moon by 2030. Privately, many analysts predict it will come much sooner than that.

So, why is being first to revisit a body consisting of nothing but rocks and dust so important?

“Two words,” a D.C.-based political strategist told us confidentially. “Bragging rights.”

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“China is making a major power play right now, presenting itself to the world as the face of the future,” the strategist continued. “It’s telling second and third-world nations that the United States’ 80-year run as the undisputed global superpower is winding down, with the People’s Republic of China poised to displace it. Beijing is already offering the yuan as the successor to the U.S. dollar as the world’s most widely used currency. Its military prowess grows stronger by the month, which always impresses weak nations. If it can add to all that the ability to boast, ‘We beat the Americans back to the moon!’ it would be a severe blow to U.S. prestige around the world.”

Then there’s the long-term factor. Both the U.S. and China have expressed interest in going to Mars. Many scientists believe the moon would make an ideal launching base for such a gigantic mission. And, military experts point out, it could also make an equally ideal venue for lunar bases with a nefarious purpose.

“This much is certain,” a retired Army officer told us, “whenever China is involved, you know it doesn’t have America’s best interests at heart.”

This was the same nation, after all, that dispatched a spy balloon to leisurely pass over the U.S. homeland nearly three years ago (for which is received nothing more than a tepid verbal slap on the wrist from former president Joe Biden).

And so like a 1980s-themed franchise, Space Race II: The Sequel is now in full swing. The question is, is anyone in the U.S. noticing this time?

They should… because the stakes could wind up being much higher than anyone realizes.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.

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