Former NASA Boss Bridenstine: US Highly Unlikely to Land on Moon Before China

Date:
Thu, 04 Sep 2025 01:18:59 +0000

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In a pointed testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, former The post Former NASA Boss Bridenstine: US Highly Unlikely to Land on Moon Before China appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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In a pointed testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine expressed deep concerns about the complexity and feasibility of NASAs Artemis program, warning that the United States is highly unlikely to land astronauts on the Moon before China due to challenges with orbital refueling and an ambitious architecture.



The hearing, titled Theres a Bad Moon on the Rise: Why Congress and NASA Must Thwart China in the Space Race, brought together lawmakers from both parties to discuss legislative priorities for NASAs forward plan.

See Also Artemis II Updates Artemis Section Click here to Join L2

Bridenstine, who served as NASA chief under President Donald Trump from 2018 to 2021 and now works as managing partner at The Artemis Group, was one of four witnesses, including representatives from the commercial space sector.

The session comes as interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy pushes forward
with the agencys Moon-to-Mars agenda under President Trump.

Bridenstine highlighted the high costs and sustainability issues with NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, calling it extraordinarily expensive, but advocating for its continued use since its already developed. He also praised the recent Big Beautiful Bill, which secures funding for Artemis 4 and 5 missions using SLS Block 1B and the Orion spacecraft.

However, he stressed a critical gap: notably that the U.S. lacks a ready
Lunar Lander.

Under NASAs Human Landing System (HLS) contracts, two vehicles are in developmentSpaceXs Starship HLS for Artemis 3 and 4, and Blue Origins Blue Moon Mk2 for Artemis 5.

It took four attempts to achieve all objectives in its V2 (Block 2) ship
tests this year. SpaceX has one more flight of this version of the vehicle before moving to launches with V3 on Pad 2.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has predicted a tower catch in as few as three more flights as a major upcoming goal for the test program, but Bridenstine emphasized that rapid reuse is essential for orbital refueling, a key element of the architecture.

SpaceX and NASAs Artemis program have an upcoming test objective involving Starships Target and Chaser in an in-space propellant transfer. Starship "Target" and "Chaser" for the prop transfer (refilling) demo. pic.twitter.com/H6bJw1EO0w

NSF NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) April 26, 2024



Our complicated architecture requires a dozen or more launches in a short
time frame, relies on very challenging technologies that have yet to be developed, like cryogenic in-space refueling, and still needs to be human-rated, Bridenstine testified.

He added that while Starships payload capacity could be transformational, its current complexity precludes alacrity, and the U.S. risks falling behind China.

Similar concerns apply to Blue Origins system, which also requires multiple refuelings of cryogenic propellants via its Cislunar Transporter. Despite being unproven, successful refueling could enable larger payloads, such as Blue Moon Mk2 delivering up to 30 tonnes one-way or 20 tonnes reusable. Bridenstine also raised alarms about the environmental and operational disruptions from Starships launch cadence.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is finalizing approvals for up to
44 launches per year from Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A, with SpaceX planning 76 from Space Launch Complex 37, potentially causing significant impacts to the Cape Canaveral area.

We need Starship to be successful, he said, but warned of the strain from
over 100 launches, tests, and landings. The former administrator critiqued
the Artemis architecture as extraordinarily complex and incredibly strained, arguing that political shifts have damaged progress. Bridenstine said the program has been cast to and fro, harming development.

Bridenstine expressed disagreement with the timing of Starships selection as the primary lander for Artemis 3, noting it occurred in April 2021 during a gap between administratorsafter his departure on January 20, 2021, and before Bill Nelsons confirmation on May 3, 2021.

The decision was made by Kathy Lueders, then NASAs Associate Administrator
for Human Exploration and Operations, and now a high-ranking manager with SpaceX Starship program, whom Bridenstine himself had appointed in June 2020.

This followed an initial 2020 selection of three competitorsBlue Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceXunder Bridenstines leadership.

There was a moment in time between the end of Bridenstine and the start of Nelson that this was selected, he said, adding that NASA bought a big rocket instead of a dedicated lander.

This is an architecture that no NASA administrator that I know of would ever select, and it was selected in the absence of a NASA Administrator.

Not everyone shares Bridenstines pessimism. Jared Isaacman, astronaut and former nominee for NASA Administrator who testified before the same committee months ago, responded on X with an optimistic defense of orbital refueling.
It is good to see NASA getting some well deserved attention todaybetween Senator Cruzs hearing and the big Associate Admin promotion. But with respect to the hearing, I do agree we should be asking why taxpayers have spent $100+ billion trying to return to the Moon over the https://t.co/BXoqLGWYZW

Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) September 3, 2025



What I think is incorrect, in my humble view, is poking holes at the complexity of orbital refueling, Isaacman wrote. Both Blue Origins Mk2 lander and SpaceXs landers depend on it; private industry is investing heavily in
the capability and when it works, it will change the game in applications
well beyond the Moon.

If all we wanted was another Apollo-style LEM, that would surely have simplified thingsbut are we trying to repeat 1969?or pioneer the technologies that will extend Americas ability to explore, discover, and defend in the
high ground of space?

Isaacman acknowledged Artemis challenges, including SLSs high costs, Orion issues, delayed spacesuits, and unready landers, agreeing theres a real
chance China could get there before our grand return. But he argued that complexity is the price of ambition for a sustainable lunar presence, not
just a flags-and-footprints mission. The hearing underscores ongoing debates over NASAs strategy in the intensifying space race with China, which aims for its own crewed lunar landing by 2030.

As lawmakers consider NASAs future, this highlights the tension between bold innovation and practical risks. Whether the U.S. can overcome these hurdles remains to be seen, but as Bridenstine noted, hindsight may reveal the
answers in the coming decades.

(Lead Image: Bridenstines hearing on Wednesday)

The post Former NASA Boss Bridenstine: US Highly Unlikely to Land on Moon Before China appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/09/nasa-bridenstine-moon-china/


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