NASA Announces $20 Billion Moon Base In Race Against China

NASA on Tuesday announced the U.S. is building a permanent base on the surface of the Moon, the latest front in what the administration calls a “second space race” with China.

During the agency’s “Ignition” event, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman reaffirmed President Donald Trump’s commitment to return to the Moon before the end of his term and establish a permanent American presence in the high-stakes race against China. Both countries are determined to land men on the Moon by the end of the decade, with Secretary of Transportation and former Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy declaring in September, “we’re getting there first.”

The administration originally planned to build the “Lunar Gateway,” a permanent space station in orbit, but has now pivoted toward the construction of a ground base into which NASA will invest over $20 billion. Several parts of the Gateway were nearly complete, with Isaacman stating that NASA could “repurpose” equipment.

“NASA is committed to achieving the near-impossible once again, to return to the Moon before the end of President Trump’s term, build a Moon base, establish an enduring presence, and do the other things needed to ensure American leadership in space,” Isaacman stated.

Isaacman also announced the base’s construction on X, writing, “The objective is clear: build the foundation for an enduring lunar base and take the next step toward Mars.”

The administrator stated in a separate X post that the United States “will never surrender our presence in low Earth orbit.”

Trump signed an executive order in December 2025, directing the country to return to the Moon by 2028 and establish the “initial elements” of a permanent base on the Moon by 2030. The order also directed nuclear reactors to be deployed both on the Moon and in orbit, specifying a “lunar surface reactor” to be launched in 2030.

NASA also published a press release Tuesday outlining the agency’s “plan for establishing a sustained lunar presence,” which will take three phases. NASA will first “increase the tempo of lunar activity” by increasing deliveries to the Moon, before constructing “semi-habitable infrastructure” and finally establishing a permanent base.

China has made significant forays into space in recent years — the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) first announced plans for an “International Lunar Research Station” in 2021, and a roadmap was published in 2024 stating that a “basic facility” would be built by 2035. A spokesman for China said in October 2025 that the country was “on track” to land men on the Moon by 2030.

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