February 3, 2026
One small step, one big comment war
China Moon Mission: Aiming for 2030 Lunar Landing
Tortoise vs Hare: China steady, NASA scrambling; Blue Origin vs Starship drama
TLDR: China says it’s targeting a human moon landing by 2030 as NASA’s schedule wobbles, and the comments exploded into tortoise-vs-hare takes. Fans argue China’s steady plan vs. America’s ambitious delays, while U.S. spectators split over Blue Origin vs. SpaceX on who actually touches lunar dirt first.
The Moon just got messy—in the best way. China says it’s aiming to put people on the lunar surface by 2030, building piece by piece. Meanwhile, the U.S. program Artemis keeps nudging its dates, and American voices are cranking up the "space race" talk. That’s the headline—but the comments turned it into a popcorn show.
One camp is pure tortoise beats hare energy: “China seems to be right on target… the US is being more ambitious,” says one user, calling America’s plan exciting but fragile. Another commenter goes bigger: China isn’t the 1960s Soviet Union—they’ll keep going even if they lose the first step. Cue hand-wringing and “this time it’s long-haul” takes.
Then came the civil war in Team USA: Blue Origin vs SpaceX. One hot take predicts Blue Origin will be first to plant U.S. boots, because Starship is “too complicated” to hit a near-term window. SpaceX faithful side-eye that, while others shrug: wake me when anyone sticks the landing. A different thread asks for a plain-English guide to China’s mission plan and points out fresh schedule slippage for Artemis II—more fuel for the “delay bingo” memes.
Historical realists drop receipts of decades of U.S. moon promises, while hype-junkies chant “if a race is what it takes, bring it.” Pick your fighter: steady tortoise, sprinting hare, or delay dragon.
Key Points
- •CMSA aims to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 and establish a base in subsequent years.
- •CMSA denies a rivalry with the United States comparable to the 1960s moon race.
- •NASA’s Artemis III schedule has slipped toward the same timeframe as China’s 2030 goal.
- •Jared Isaacman, described as NASA’s new head, emphasized urgency and competition in a December statement.
- •China’s Lanyue lunar lander underwent an engine test in 2025 in Hebei; NASA’s Artemis II is nearly ready for a circumlunar test flight.