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NASA is racing to invent a permanent human presence on the moon as the US looks to beat China’s lunar ambitions amid growing competition in space.
The Trump administration’s push for a $20 billion lunar base marks a major shift in NASA’s strategy, moving away from plans for a space station orbiting the moon and toward building infrastructure directly on the moon as a long-term way to explore deep space.
“This time, the goal is not flags and feet,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman while explaining the plan. “This time, the goal is to stay.”
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“The reason you want to have a moon base is that it serves as a hub for our ongoing efforts not just to land, but to go into deep space,” Casey Dreier, chief of space policy for the space exploration nonprofit The Planetary Society, told Fox News Digital. “It’s like the reason we have our stations in Antarctica.”
Dreier said a continued presence on the moon would allow the US to store supplies, build infrastructure and expand its capabilities over time in ways not possible with a lunar orbiter.
NASA is racing to establish a permanent human presence on the moon as the US looks to beat China’s lunar ambitions amid an intensifying space race. (Austin DeSisto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This change also indicates a recalibration of NASA’s previous programs, which were focused on it Gateway program – a proposed space station in lunar orbit that has been a cornerstone of the Artemis program but has faced delays, funding uncertainty and growing questions about its need.
Originally envisioned as a staging area for astronauts traveling to and from the lunar surface, Gateway was designed to serve as a communications hub and transfer station in orbit. NASA is now redirecting resources to building infrastructure directly on the lunar surface instead.
While the new approach sharpens NASA’s focus, Dreier cautioned that the administration’s timeline and budget remain ambitious.
“Probably not,” he said when asked if $20 billion would be enough to build and sustain a lunar base. “It’s a level of ambition.”
Dreier added that the roughly seven-year timeline is aggressive, especially given the technical challenges of working on the moon, suggesting the effort could begin with a limited initial presence that stretches over time.
China has successfully launched a robotic sample return mission, launching objects from the moon back to Earth – a technology-intensive task that underscores its growing capabilities. (Li Jieyi/VCG via Getty Images)
China aims to land astronauts on the moon around 2030, a milestone that would mark its first manned lunar mission and greatly expand its presence beyond Earth orbit.
The lunar base push comes as China is also developing rapidly its capabilities, to carry out complex robotic tasks and lay the groundwork for a long-term presence on the moon.
“They’ve gone from launching one or two satellites or a space science satellite to launching a bunch,” Dreier said. “They’ve landed a bunch of mass now on the moon, on the far side of the moon.”
He noted that China has also successfully carried out a robotic sample launch, launching objects from the moon back to Earth – a technologically demanding mission that underscores its growing capabilities.
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“They develop their skills very quickly,” Dreier said. “That’s more power than the United States has on the moon right now.”
“On the moon, China actually has an advantage right now,” he added.
“They’ve gone from launching one or two satellites or a space science satellite to launching a bunch,” Dreier said. “They’ve landed a bunch of mass now on the moon, on the far side of the moon.”
China is working with international partners, including Russia, on plans for a long-term presence near the lunar south pole – a region believed to contain water ice and other valuable resources.
“We find ourselves with a real political rival, challenging American leadership at the top,” Isaacman said.
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Dreier said the push to build a permanent mission on the moon would also strengthen the US’s broader capabilities in space, especially as orbit becomes contested.
“The moon is the highest point,” he said. “If we’re going to have a space race, let’s make it a race to the moon … rather than something very direct and destructive in Earth orbit.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to NASA for comment.
