Moon race: How China is challenging the US
Why it matters: China's rapid space advancements are reshaping the global power balance, impacting future scientific discovery and resource access.
- China's Project 921 has conducted 15 crewed missions since 2003 and built its own Tiangong space station after being blocked from the ISS, accumulating crucial experience in spacewalks and maintenance.
- Professor Richard de Grijs highlights China's strong political commitment and stable funding as key to its program's effectiveness, contrasting it with the US approach where priorities can shift with political cycles.
- The Chinese space agency (CNSA) aims to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, testing new spacecraft like Mengzhou (2026) and developing the powerful Long March-10 rocket and Lanyue lander (2028-2029).
- China plans to build the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) near the moon's south pole by 2035, collaborating with Russia on the project to establish a crewed scientific base.
China is rapidly advancing its crewed space program, Project 921, with ambitions to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 and establish a lunar base by 2035, directly challenging the United States' long-held supremacy in spaceflight. This strategic, long-term approach, backed by consistent political commitment and funding, offers China a distinct advantage over the often-shifting priorities of Western programs.
