#china-lunar-program

#china-lunar-program

Following countless delays plaguing its efforts to return the first astronauts to the lunar surface in over half a century, NASA could finally be bucking the trend. NASA officials revealed today that the agency's Artemis 2 mission, which will see a crew of four astronauts travel around the Moon and back, could launch as soon as February 5, roughly two months earlier than previously anticipated.

A multibillion-dollar contract between NASA and SpaceX is under scrutiny as the Elon Musk-helmed space company's plans to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon keep slipping. As the New York Times reports, experts are now warning that China could beat the United States in the race back to the Moon. After a series of successful robotic missions to the Earth's natural satellite, the country has made major strides in its efforts to launch its "Lanyue" lunar lander to the Moon before 2030.