NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the U.S. would enjoy a major symbolic victory if it can stay on target and land astronauts on the moon before China does by decade’s end. “They intend to put their astronauts on the surface of the moon in 2029. Our intention is to do it in 2028. That means, no matter what, it’s coming down to months, not years. That is way too close,” he told “The Hill” on Thursday.
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What Jared Isaacman said
Written from the verified transcript and checked against it. Every figure links to the moment it was said.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the United States is in a 'great power competition' with China over space, with both countries planning to return to the moon and establish bases near the lunar south pole. He said China is a strong competitor, citing their Long March 10 rockets and plans for a nuclear reactor on the moon. Isaacman stated the U.S. aims for a crewed lunar landing in 2028 while China plans for 2029, stressing that the race will be decided by months, not years. He acknowledged China's rapid launch cadence and said they are 'moving incredibly fast.' He also discussed the possibility of space-based data centers, calling it an economic rather than physics problem, and said he is open-minded about UAPs, noting NASA should have a role if they are real or if they indicate adversary technology.
Key takeaways
Isaacman said the U.S. will land astronauts on the moon in 2028, ahead of China's 2029 target.
China is launching rockets 'almost every 48 hours' and is rapidly advancing its space program.
Isaacman said space-based data centers are an economic, not physics, problem and could become viable over time.
The U.S. has invested over $100 billion in past lunar efforts that failed, and Trump has committed $10 billion to ensure success.
Isaacman said he leans toward UAPs being natural phenomena or next-generation adversary technology, with a 'good chance' of the latter.
0:53I know it's a big thing, but what exactly is it and why do you think it's so consequential?
1:43Where are we ahead of China at this point in time and where might we actually be behind them?
3:19But when folks are at home and are like, 'My gosh, gas is so high, this and that, my daily life,' what would you say as to why all of that matters quite a bit?
4:30Why should we believe that we're on that timeline right now, that it will indeed be 2028, 2030 for them?
5:44... this is, you know, how this is playing out all across the country politically and in people's backyards—so I wonder, do you think we get to a point where there are more data centers in space than on land here in the United States?
For us tonight. Joe, thank you. So as President Trump, President Xi meet at the White House, a live look on your screen of all things. The NASA assembly plant at the Kennedy Space Center. This is in Florida. Why more crews? They're preparing the rocket to be used in NASA's next big mission, Artemis 3. That program is part of a wider race between the U.S. and China as both superpowers speed toward establishing a presence on the moon. All of the issues that Trump and Xi are going to be talking about. But the U.S.-China space race, it's still up there. Spoke to the NASA administrator Jared Isaacman earlier today about the race to space and more.
Jared, thanks for being with us tonight. We appreciate it.
Obviously this big Trump-Xi meeting and a lot of issues to get to. But one of them that you believe is certainly at the top of the list is the U.S.-China space race. What exactly is that? I know it's a big thing, but what exactly is it and why do you think it's so consequential?
Well, we absolutely are in the midst of a great power competition, of course. Because I lead the world's most accomplished space agency, I put space exploration and the associated space race as a top priority, but very much is underway right now. I mean, you know, President Trump's national space policy recommits America to return to the moon, to establish an enduring presence, to build a moon base. The Chinese are doing the same and they're a great competitor. I mean, they've got their Long March 10 rockets. They intend to build a base on the south pole of the moon, same location the U.S. plans to partner with Russia. They want a nuclear reactor on the south pole of the moon. So the competition is on.
It stood out to your predecessor, Bill Nelson. We all remember that Chinese balloon that flew across the country, right? Here's what he said about that. He said what many Americans first registered as a balloon violating our airspace was really a warning that the next great rivalry will not be fought on land or sea, but in the skies above us and even beyond our atmosphere. He said the episode was a window into the new space race. And then Dan Caine, of course, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he said this: 'Our task, my friends, is to adapt right now. Show the joint force is prepared to fight and win in contested environments from the seabed to space.' They're basically saying the same thing there. Where are we ahead of China at this point in time and where might we actually be behind them?
Yeah, it's a really great question. Obviously, they're both correct. I mean, General Caine is pointing out the reality that this competition exists below the waves, on the surface, in the air, in space. I mean, but even beyond that, infrastructure, you know, major technology breakthroughs like next-generation energy, like fusion. They're building, you know, their version of the National Ignition Facility. So bottom line is, it's in all these critical and emerging domains. But Senator Nelson, former NASA administrator Nelson, is also correct. We have a real rival here in China. They will absolutely do what the Soviets never could during the first space race. They intend to put boots on the surface of the moon in 2029. Our intention is to do it in 2028. No matter what, it's coming down to months, not years. That is why the second space race is so important.
Why does timing matter there? Like, I understand we want to beat them and all that. But when folks are at home and are like, 'My gosh, gas is so high, this and that, my daily life,' what would you say as to why all of that matters quite a bit?
It's a great question. You know, during the first space race, I mean, that was a battleground during the Cold War. It was a peaceful battleground, right? But when America pulled off the near impossible, July 20, 1969, Neil and Buzz walked on the moon, saluting the American flag, it sent a message. I wonder what else America is capable of doing and maybe we should think twice before encroaching on their interests. While the inverse is also true. You've had every president going back to Reagan in 1988 who made the moon a national priority. We spent over 100 billion in taxpayer dollars. We failed to come up short. It says something is broken. Now President Trump is committed to making sure that does not happen. He created the Artemis program during his first term, which is what resulted in that extraordinary mission when the astronauts went around the moon. And then my first job was to give us a national space policy. A 10 billion dollar investment from the Working Family Tax Cut Act. He said we won't fail at the moon. And why does it matter for the American people? All the technology we pioneer to get there makes life better back here on Earth. Not to mention inspiring the next generation.
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Isaacman, J. (2026, September 25). NASA chief: Why the US must beat China back to the moon | The Hill [Interview transcript]. NewsNation. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/2940558/
MLA
Jared Isaacman. "NASA chief: Why the US must beat China back to the moon | The Hill." NewsNation, 25 Sep. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/2940558/.
BibTeX
@misc{isaacman2026_2940558,
author = {Jared Isaacman},
title = {NASA chief: Why the US must beat China back to the moon | The Hill},
howpublished = {Interview transcript, NewsNation. CEOInterviews.AI},
year = {2026},
month = {sep},
url = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/2940558/},
note = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}
