China’s race to establish a permanent base on the moon is accelerating, putting additional pressure on the United States and affecting the future direction of lunar exploration. Through its International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) programme, in cooperation with Russia, China aims to build an operational research facility at the lunar south pole, while using existing missions to test technologies to achieve the same thing.
NASA’s Artemis program has also been plagued by delays and redesign. It can be seen that the current race is not only about flags, but about sustainable bases on the moon.
China International Lunar Research Station He moves fast
It is also important to acknowledge that the Chinese approach has become more methodical and systematic recently. Hence, the country’s International Lunar Research Station, established in cooperation with Russia, seeks to develop a manned scientific station near the Moon’s South Pole region by 2035.As can be seen from the long-term plan drawn up by the China National Space Administration, the process will take place in several steps. As a result, Chang’e-7 is expected to explore water ice resources around Shackleton Crater, while Chang’e-8 will use lunar soil to test various construction techniques. Ultimately, “in situ resource utilization” will enable astronauts to build structures, produce oxygen, and even generate fuel directly from lunar resources.
The ILRS program has also received an increasing number of international partnerships. Orbit Codex notes in its article that more than 17 countries and several research organizations have already joined the project.Speaking about the presentations made by Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, Global Times reports on various topics related to ILRS discussed by experts. One of them was a nuclear reactor intended to permanently ensure operations on the Moon.
NASA’s Artemis Moon program is facing increasing pressure
While China’s space exploration roadmap appears increasingly stable, NASA’s plans under the Artemis program are constantly changing. The United States will continue its efforts to put astronauts on the moon, but the deadline will now be 2028.Much of the Lunar Gateway was supposed to be a center for NASA activities. Despite this, the organization decided to modify the project and focus on building a lunar base on Earth, not above it.According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, the future Artemis Base Camp will initially look like a “futuristic junkyard” until it is operational.The political environment in the United States has also become increasingly supportive of this idea. According to a report prepared by a Senate committee regarding the NASA Authorization Act of 2026, the bill explicitly requires NASA to create a permanent moon because “space is not just symbolic, it is strategic.
“The NASA Authorization Act ensures that America, not China, will lead the next era of exploration,” Senator Cruz said.The competition is no longer just exploration, but also competition for areas of strategic importance, which include the Moon’s South Pole, which contains water-ice deposits.
Why is the Moon’s south pole so important?
The Moon’s South Pole has emerged as the focus of the current space race due to its potentially abundant resources.
Scientists from Cornell University believe that in the permanently shaded areas of Antarctica, there is frozen water, which could provide drinking water, generate oxygen, and manufacture rocket fuel.Aside from their scientific importance, studies regarding future habitation on the Moon have shown that the polar regions may actually be safer for astronauts’ long stay. According to a study conducted on micrometeorites and their impacts in the Artemis period, the poles of the Moon are exposed to fewer micrometeorites than other regions.
From a purely economic point of view, Antarctica could be very beneficial.
The new space race is about permanence, not prestige
Unlike the Cold War-era race to the moon in the 1960s, the current rivalry is about creating something more permanent. China and America do not just want to deliver their astronauts to the surface of the moon. Rather, they want to establish operational stations outside the Earth.The Artemis Agreements and ILRS collaborations have created two competing approaches to lunar exploration.
The US-led coalition approach competes with an alternative centered around China’s fast-growing moon mission programme.There has been a lot of speculation about whether China is truly able to stay “two steps ahead” of America. After all, NASA has a great deal of accumulated technological experience and has many commercial partners, such as SpaceX. At the same time, one cannot deny that China’s deliberate moves regarding the Moon have succeeded in attracting global attention. For decades, the moon has represented the achievements of the past.
For the first time, it represents the future.
