U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and a bipartisan group of senators with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation are warning that the United States could fall behind China in the space race. The lawmakers said at a Wednesday hearing that NASA keeps delaying its moon missions, which could allow China to gain an advantage in space exploration.
“China has made no secret of its goals,” Cruz said. “Investing heavily in space capabilities, maintaining a permanent presence in low earth orbit and working to plant its flag on the moon by 2030.”
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Meanwhile, NASA’s Artemis mission is aiming to send U.S. astronauts back to the Moon by 2027. Cruz said the implications of allowing China to establish a foothold on the moon would be felt back on Earth.
“The stakes could not be higher,” Cruz said. “Space is no longer reserved simply for peaceful exploration. It is today a strategic frontier with direct consequences for national security, economic growth, and technological leadership. If our adversaries achieve dominant space capabilities, it would pose a profound risk to America.”
Lawmakers push back on proposed budget cuts
Cruz made his comments while both Democrats and Republicans in Congress are trying to protect NASA’s funding.
On July 4, President Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law. An amendment introduced by Cruz gives NASA an extra $9.9 billion in funds on top of its regular 2025 budget.
The extra funding is meant to support important NASA programs such as Artemis; Space Launch System, which is a powerful rocket for deep space missions; and the Orion crew capsule, the spacecraft that will carry astronauts.
Technical hurdles threaten NASA’s timeline
Jim Bridenstine, former NASA administrator, testified in front of the committee.
“Look at the architecture. It is extraordinarily complex,” Bridenstine testified. “In some cases, it hinges on me saying here today that it is highly unlikely that we will land on the moon before China.”
Bridenstine said the two biggest obstacles for NASA getting to the moon are, one, the fact that the agency has no landing system for the moon; and two, a lack of a refueling system for when SpaceX’s Starship is in space.
“Our astronauts are right now planning to be on the surface of the moon for a period of seven days without any way home,” Bridenstine said.
According to testimony, authorities believe that once China lands on the Moon, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will likely try to quickly take control of parts of the lunar surface. Experts said the CCP’s goal would be to search for rare earth elements and other valuable resources that could be used to develop new technology.
