China's race to create a permanent base on the moon is speeding up, exerting additional pressure on the United States and influencing the future direction of lunar exploration. With its International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) programme, China, in collaboration with Russia, aims to construct an operational research facility at the South Pole of the moon. Existing missions are being used to test technologies to achieve this goal.
China's Systematic Approach to Lunar Exploration
The Chinese approach has become much more methodical and systematic recently. The International Lunar Research Station, developed together with Russia, strives to create a manned scientific station near the Moon's south pole region by 2035. According to the long-term plan by the China National Space Administration, the process will occur in several steps. Chang'e-7 is expected to explore ice water resources around the Shackleton crater, while Chang'e-8 will use lunar soil to test different construction techniques. Eventually, in-situ resource utilisation will enable astronauts to build structures, produce oxygen, and even generate fuel directly from lunar resources.
The ILRS programme has also attracted increased international partnerships. Over 17 nations and numerous research organisations have already joined the project, as reported by Orbit Codex. During presentations by Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, experts discussed various topics related to ILRS, including a nuclear reactor aimed at ensuring permanent operations on the Moon, according to Global Times.
NASA's Artemis Programme Faces Mounting Pressure
While China's space exploration roadmap looks increasingly stable, NASA's plans under the Artemis programme have been changing constantly. The USA will continue its efforts to put astronauts on the lunar surface, but the deadline has been pushed to 2028. A significant portion of the Lunar Gateway was supposed to be the centre of NASA's activities, but the organisation decided to adjust the project and focus on building a moon base on the ground rather than above it. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, the future Artemis Base Camp will initially look like a futuristic junkyard until becoming operational.
The political environment in the USA is also becoming increasingly supportive of the idea. A report prepared by the Senate Committee in relation to the NASA Authorisation Act of 2026 explicitly tells NASA to create a permanent moon base. Senator Cruz stated, Space is not just symbolic; it is strategic. The NASA Authorisation Act ensures that America, not China, will lead the next era of exploration. The competition is no longer just about exploration but also over strategically important territories, including the south pole of the Moon with water ice deposits.
Why the Moon's South Pole Matters
The south pole of the Moon has emerged as the centrepiece of the current space race due to its possible resource availability. Scientists from Cornell University believe that in the permanently shadowed areas of the South Pole, frozen water exists, which can provide drinking water, oxygen generation, and the manufacture of rocket fuel. Apart from scientific importance, studies on future habitation indicate that polar areas might be safer for extended stays by astronauts. Research on micrometeoroid impacts during the Artemis period shows that the poles experience fewer micrometeoroids than other areas. From an economic perspective, the southern pole could prove highly beneficial.
The New Space Race: Permanence, Not Prestige
Unlike the Cold War-era moon race in the 1960s, the present rivalry is about establishing something more permanent. China and America do not just want to get their astronauts to the surface of the Moon; they want to establish operational stations beyond Earth. The Artemis Accords and the ILRS collaboration have established two competing approaches to moon exploration. The US-led coalition approach competes with China's fast-growing moon mission program.
There has been much speculation about whether China can stay two steps ahead of America. After all, NASA possesses vast accumulated technological expertise and has many business partners, such as SpaceX. However, China's well-calculated moves regarding the Moon have succeeded in drawing global attention. For decades, the Moon represented past achievements; for the first time, it represents the future.
