Washington — NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sunday that the U.S. is “very much in a space race right now” against China, as the two countries vie to land astronauts on the moon and secure a near-permanent presence on the lunar surface.

“The Chinese are moving at incredible speeds, and they are certainly capable of doing what the Soviets were not during the first space race,” Isaacman said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

While the U.S. is aiming to get astronauts back to the moon for landing in 2028, China is looking to send its own “taikonauts” to the moon before 2030. But Isaacman stressed that the timelines are closer than they appear.

“They are thinking in 2029, we’re saying end of 2028 is when we’re targeting the landing,” he said. “That is months, not years.

Isaacman said the Chinese “will land their taikonauts on the moon — there’s no question.” 

“The question is, will the United States return before them, and will we do so in a different way this time?” he said. “Will we build the base, establish that enduring presence? I think the answer is yes.”

After four astronauts looped around the moon on the Artemis II mission in April, NASA earlier this month announced the crew of the next Artemis program set to take place next year. The Artemis III mission, aiming to test critical lunar landing systems, will mark a key milestone before the U.S. can send astronauts back to the moon for landing in 2028.

Isaacman outlined that on Artemis III, “three of the world’s most powerful rockets will come together and test out their capabilities in Earth orbit,” in what he called “very a la Apollo 9” fashion, to give NASA “the confidence in our landers for Artemis IV in 2028.”

“This is an achievable plan to put astronauts back on the surface of the moon,” he said.

Meanwhile, Isaacman said NASA will work on its moon base, with missions launched on a nearly monthly cadence in 2027 “so we have that enduring presence; that proving ground for Mars.”

Isaacman predicted that starting next year, NASA could begin building the base. Then, when the astronauts get to the surface of the moon in 2028, he said “there’s going to be a buggy there, a lunar terrain vehicle, there’s going to be a start of infrastructure,” followed by more in 2029.

“But I would say, early 2030s, the moon is going to be like the International Space Station,” he said. “You’re going to have crews that are there on pretty extended periods of time, as we learn in that environment and prepare for Mars.”