The impetus for our space race with Russia, which culminated in Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon, seems to have returned. This time, there’s a new opponent: China.
We’re not doing it in the name of discovery, spurned by our curiosity about our place in the broader scheme of the universe. No, NASA’s recently announced Artemis 2 mission, scheduled to launch sometime between February and April 2026, is mainly happening because we want to beat China to a place we’ve already been to… and golfed on.
The crew includes three Americans and one Canadian. This trip isn’t about planting flags or swinging a golf club in the name of science. That stuff comes later, with Artemis 3, should that mission ever transpire, which actually aims to land people on the moon.
Artemis 2 is a 10-day mission that will orbit the moon and collect data.
NASA’s First Moon Mission With Astronauts in 50 Years Is Coming in 2026
You might have noticed that a window from February to April 2026 is actually right around the corner, given that this is being published in late September 2025. There’s a rush because the moon is the hottest real estate in the solar system, and the Trump administration has explicitly branded all this as a “second space race.”
This time, no one seems to care nearly as much, as national pride is in the gutter. Using that kind of language also implies that we are involved in a Cold War with China, which has its own lunar ambitions and target date of 2034 for its first crewed Moon mission.
Both nations are eyeing long-term Moon bases, setting the stage for a future where the Moon is just another geopolitical outpost. Any fans of the excellent Apple TV+ show For All Mankind are already familiar with the variety of ways all of this can and may result in disastrous moon-based geopolitical calamities.
Regarding the hasty Artemis 2 mission, in a press briefing, NASA official Lakiesha Hawkins stated that the space agency intends “to keep that commitment,” but reassured that NASA will do it as safely as possible.
Let’s hope acting NASA administrator, former reality show star Sean Duffy, comes around to her way of thinking after recent comments he made suggest that he is willing to sacrifice safety and the well-being of astronauts in the name of winning a pi**ing contest.
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