Video: Beating China To The Moon Is A 'Long Putt' For NASA

Jim Bridenstine, former NASA Administrator and managing partner at the Artemis Group, has expressed concerns about the U.S.' ability to outpace China in the race to return astronauts to the Moon. 

In an interview with Aviation Week Editorial Director Joe Anselmo at Space Symposium, Bridenstine described the challenge as a “long putt,” underscoring the complexities of developing new technologies and balancing speed with sustainability in NASA’s Artemis program.

“The reality is, we’re doing a lot of development for new capabilities and technologies that have never been done before,” Bridenstine said. “There’s this tension between going fast to beat China and between transformational capabilities that are going to be important for sustainability and building a Moon base.” 

The Artemis program’s reboot, which includes plans to establish a Moon base over the next decade, is critically important for accessing lunar resources, such as water ice, rare metals and helium-3, to support construction and energy needs, Bridenstine said. 

He also praised the role of commercial entities in supporting this endeavor: “We want to get innovation. We want them to compete on costs and all of these transformational capabilities, which is what they do.”

However, Bridenstine warned that underfunding NASA could hinder progress and cede leadership to China. “If you have the smallest budget in a long time and then you cut it, it’s hard to go faster and do more.” 

Bridenstine highlighted that NASA’s current budget, which accounts for just 0.3% of the federal budget, is in stark contrast to the Apollo era, when NASA received nearly 5%. 

A 50% boost would be “unnoticeable at the federal budget level,” but could have a profound impact on America’s space capabilities, he said. “It would put us on a path to build that Moon base, go to Mars faster and achieve more than we’ve ever done.”