Race to the Moon · US vs China

Crewed landing: United States leads on demonstrated milestones

China1.75 of 8
United States3.5 of 8

Permanent presence: Level on demonstrated milestones

China1.25 of 8
United States1 of 8

Projected first crewed landing: Too close to call

Official targets: China Before 2030 (2030年前); United States 2028 for Artemis IV.

Next uncrewed landing attempt: Griffin Mission One ("Moon Base II"), Late 2026 (NASA, 20 Oct 2026; Voyager, 2 Nov 2026); slides at a NASA talk on 14 Oct 2026 listed no earlier than January 2027, The Space Review reported.

Rungs demonstrated out of 8 per goal; China shown first (alphabetical). Method v1.0.5, evidence as of 2 Nov 2026.

Source: SpaceNexus (CC BY 4.0)