A Senate Commerce Committee listening to sounded the alarm over the U.S.-China area race, emphasizing American dominance off Earth because the backdrop for NASA’s subsequent funding authorization.
Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) opened the Sept. 3 listening to, titled “There’s a Unhealthy Moon on the Rise,” by warning that america dangers dropping the moon to China if NASA’s Artemis program falters. The listening to centered on how America can keep forward within the new area race, with lawmakers urgent the significance of Artemis and reaffirming the necessity for the Gateway area station and to keep up steady operations in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Witnesses underscored that delays, funds uncertainty, or wavering commitments might undermine each U.S. trade and worldwide alliances, warning that uncertainty might drive companions and suppliers towards China’s accelerating lunar mission applied sciences.
Consultants invited to testify included former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; Allen Cutler, president and CEO of the Coalition for Deep House Exploration; Mike Gold, president of civil and worldwide area at Redwire; and former Deputy Commander of the U.S. House Command Lt. Gen. John Shaw.
These witnesses pointed to China’s current progress, together with a crew car abort-system check in June, a Lengthy March 10 rocket static hearth in August, and a moon lander demonstration, as proof of a scientific push towards the lunar floor.
“The nations that get there first will write the foundations of the highway for what we are able to do on the moon,” Gold mentioned in the course of the listening to. Different witnesses additionally emphasised this level — the nation that establishes a presence on the lunar floor first will set the foundations of engagement for assets, governance, and worldwide partnerships again on Earth.
One of many benefits China holds over the U.S., the witnesses say, is its authorities’s constant uniformity and readability of function for its lunar mission structure. “The Chinese language Communist Occasion is already using its personal built-in grand technique for the Earth-moon system,” Shaw mentioned.
“Getting solid from side to side from one administration to the subsequent has been very damaging over time, and that is the problem with NASA,” Bridenstine added. “What we do is multi-decadal in nature, and generally it is multi-generational, and you may’t simply have it commute.”
NASA’s Artemis program was repeatedly careworn because the centerpiece of America’s area exploration efforts, constructed across the House Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule — the one human-rated tremendous heavy rocket and deep-space crew car at present flying.
Artemis 2, the primary crewed mission to fly across the moon for the reason that Apollo period, is slated to launch early subsequent yr, however witnesses famous that the U.S. nonetheless lacks a finalized lunar lander to help Artemis 3.
SLS {hardware} for missions via Artemis 9 is already in manufacturing. To really land on the moon, nonetheless, NASA is counting on SpaceX’s Starship as its contracted Human Touchdown System. Whereas its most up-to-date check flight on Aug. 26 was hailed a complete success, Starship’s improvement has slowed over the previous yr, and it has an extended approach to go earlier than touchdown astronauts on the moon. The car should show its but untested in-orbit refueling functionality and land a minimum of one uncrewed mission on the moon earlier than NASA’s 2027 goal for Artemis 3.
Bridenstine cautioned that the delicate and SpaceX-reliant infrastructure for mission success makes the present U.S. design susceptible, citing the work remaining to get Starship operational and the necessity for “as much as dozens” of refueling launches with a purpose to full every of its missions to the lunar floor. “Until one thing adjustments, it’s extremely unlikely america will beat China’s projected timeline,” he mentioned.
Gateway — the Artemis program’s pitstop area station in lunar orbit — has had a bumpy path inside this system’s structure. At instances it has been scrutinized, scaled again, or delayed. It was canceled within the president’s 2026 funds proposal, however Congress added Gateway funding again into the combo to the tune of $750 million per yr, via fiscal yr 2028. Although the invoice is but to be finalized, the orbital station is solid because the linchpin of sustainable exploration to allow longer stays, accomplice funding and cislunar monitoring.
“Over 60% of the Gateway’s prices are being borne by our worldwide companions, representing billions which have already been spent constructing {hardware}” Gold defined. “Turning away from Gateway now would squander this unprecedented world funding in Artemis and pressure our worldwide allies to hunt partnerships with America’s geopolitical rivals,” he mentioned.
“Conversely, if NASA reaffirms its dedication to Gateway, we are able to unlock billions of {dollars} of extra worldwide investments, creating much more sturdy capabilities for Artemis, together with a windfall for the American taxpayer,” Gold mentioned.
Witnesses and lawmakers wrestled with NASA’s funds priorities, highlighting concern that the administration’s 2026 funds request tilts closely towards exploration whereas slashing science applications. That chopping block contains planetary protection missions equivalent to OSIRIS-APEX, heliophysics analysis, main Earth science and local weather missions and main cuts to workforce at NASA facilities like Armstrong, Marshall, and Goddard.
Proponents say that Artemis is an financial engine, with NASA estimating that each $1 invested returns about $3 to the U.S. financial system. “There are 2,700 suppliers which are a part of the Artemis program,” Cutler mentioned. “That covers all the pieces from small mother and pop retailers making valves, nuts, washers and all the way in which up.”
The stress underscored the committee’s dilemma to protect momentum in NASA’s moon-to-Mars efforts with out hollowing out the scientific missions that underpin NASA’s credibility and broad political help.
Cutler warned that preemptive slowdowns are already rattling suppliers, saying, “We’d like folks engaged on Artemis — not engaged on their resumes.” He famous that uncertainty is particularly damaging to small companies that can’t climate contract disruptions, and that chopping momentum now dangers gutting Artemis’ industrial pipeline simply as China is scaling up its personal.
Committee members and witnesses additionally linked NASA’s success to the continued operation of the Worldwide House Station (ISS) and the company’s efforts to make the most of business area stations as soon as the ISS is decommissioned someday after 2030.
“This can be a pivotal second for our nation’s area program,” Cruz advised listening to attendees. “America should preserve management in low Earth orbit whereas additionally embarking on a brand new period of exploration with Artemis.”
Gold cautioned that, with out continued funding and near-term motion, the variety of U.S. astronauts aboard the ISS might fall from 4 at anybody time to 3 to 2. “For the primary time in historical past, there can be extra Chinese language astronauts in area than Individuals,” Gold warned, calling the prospect unacceptable.
Just like the flocking of financial pursuits to China ought to they beat the U.S. to the moon, Bridenstine argued that failing to keep up a sturdy presence in LEO wouldn’t solely weaken our nation’s operations in area but additionally drive worldwide companions towards China’s Tiangong area station and away from U.S. pursuits.
Shaw pressed for a broader nationwide technique that unifies civil, business and defensive area efforts. “I’m an advocate for and a champion of a unified grand area technique for our nation, for the Earth-moon system and past. But such a grand technique, which might unify and synergize our nationwide efforts throughout civil, business and nationwide safety actions in pursuit of frequent targets, alternatives and capabilities, doesn’t at present exist,” he mentioned.
Such a technique, Shaw mentioned, would set clear targets for America’s framework for an eventual crewed mission to Mars, by establishing clear guideposts for progress in areas like nuclear energy, cislunar communications and area area consciousness, creating new business alternatives and avoiding fragmented efforts.
The end result of the brand new area race, lawmakers say, has the potential to form worldwide insurance policies and alliances, and the financial panorama of the globe for many years to come back. “If [China] get[s to the moon] first, we’ll see a worldwide realignment that may impression our financial system, our tax base, our capability to innovate, and our nationwide safety,” Gold warned.
The listening to ended with an urgency illustrated in Cruz’s first remarks: “If our adversaries obtain dominant area capabilities, it could pose a profound threat to America.”
