The head of NASA acknowledges that the outcome of the lunar landing competition between China and the United States is uncertain, with both sides having nearly equal chances of success.

China and the United States are "roughly equal" in the race for the honor of being the first to land humans on the Moon in the new century.

This time, NASA is no longer full of confidence but is telling the truth.

As reported by Moskovsky Komsomolets on June 5.

In an interview with Fox Business Channel, the question was raised: Which country—America or China—will win the race for the first human Moon landing in the new century?

Administrator Isaacman replied: "The outcome of this competition is currently uncertain, and it will be extremely intense."

"I would say this is a very close race, with both countries having 'roughly equal' chances of success."

This time, Isaacman may indeed be speaking the truth—not lobbying for government funding as before.

In a Bloomberg podcast in May 2026, Isaacman admitted he often dramatized scenarios of "China landing on the Moon first" to push Congress for funding, saying, "Telling this story works well," and chuckled, "It worked."

He also noted that the timelines for lunar missions between China and the U.S. differ by only a few months, not years, emphasizing, "We obviously don’t want to lose."

However, in March 2026, Isaacman had previously acknowledged that "China might arrive earlier," but after mission adjustments—such as canceling the Gateway space station and focusing instead on a lunar base—revised his statement to say the gap has narrowed to just "a few months."

Now, he emphasizes that China has become an "equal competitor," whose pace of development "matches that of SpaceX," while acknowledging that the U.S. faces risks due to technical delays, budget constraints, and reliability issues with commercial partners.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867109566143496/

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