The tortoise and the hare: will China beat the US in the race back to the moon?
The rival superpowers are ramping up preparations for a crewed lunar landing nearly six decades after the first moon walk The world watched earlier this month as Nasa sent four astronauts around the moon – but to actually land on the surface the US is once again in a space race, this time with China. And China may well win. Both countries plan to build inhabited lunar bases – the first settlement on another celestial body – as well as searching for rare resources and using the deep space environ
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Astronauts wave during a departure ceremony before a rocket launch in 2021 in China, where the one-party system does not allow for changes in government to derail long-term objectives in space. Photograph: Roman Pilipey/EPAThe rival superpowers are ramping up preparations for a crewed lunar landing nearly six decades after the first moon walkBy Oliver Holmes, and Alastair McCready in Taipei. Graphics by Paul ScrutonSun 26 Apr 2026 02.00 EDTLast modified on Sun 26 Apr 2026 02.01 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe world watched earlier this month as Nasa sent four astronauts around the moon – but to actually land on the surface the US is once again in a space race, this time with China.
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