No country has softly landed a spacecraft at the lunar poles, which are more difficult to reach than the equatorial regions of the Moon. The delay of Chang’e 7 opens up the possibility that NASA could reach this terrain first, with the initial launch of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 vehicle. This large lander will carry two NASA probes to the south pole, possibly as early as spring 2027.

Isaacman’s comments come amid a debate about whether it really matters if NASA gets back to the Moon with people before China lands there. The Asian nation has set a target of landing its first astronauts on the Moon by or before 2030 and is making considerable progress. In Isaacman’s view, it does matter.

“That will call into question every other country around the world,” Isaacman said. “Whose security guarantee should I trust? Should I trust the United States and NATO? Should I trust China? Whose technology should I buy? Whose military hardware should I buy? Whose standards should I adhere to? All of that’s on the table.”

Isaacman noted US space policy failures going back to the Reagan administration, estimating NASA has spent $100 billion across multiple administrations that has led nowhere. Meanwhile, China had its first human spaceflight in 2003 and now rivals the United States in space. “If you come up short with who comes down the ladder first, the impact is felt around the world,” he said.