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“There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise: Why Congress and NASA Must Thwart China in the Space Race”

Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation

September 3, 2025 (recording linked here)

HEARING INFORMATION

Witnesses and Written Testimony (Linked):

• Mr. Allen Cutler: President and Chief Executive Officer of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration

• Mr. Michael Gold: President of Civil and International Space for Redwire

• Hon. Jim Bridenstine: Managing Partner of the Artemis Group and Former Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

• Lt. Gen. John Shaw: Former Deputy Commander of the U.S. Space Command

HEARING HIGHLIGHTS

IN THEIR WORDS

SUMMARY OF OPENING STATEMENTS FROM THE SUBCOMMITTEE

• Chair Cruz opened by emphasizing bipartisan support for NASA and the importance of passing a long-term NASA Authorization bill. He stated that America was in a new space race with China, which aimed to plant its flag on the moon by 2030. He argued that NASA’s programs were not only about exploration but also national security, economic growth, and technological leadership. He warned against sudden or disruptive changes to NASA’s missions, stressed the importance of Artemis and the International Space Station, and underscored the need for America to remain the world’s leading spacefaring nation.

• Ranking Member Cantwell highlighted that returning to the moon was critical to U.S. national security and economic competitiveness. She noted China’s and Russia’s strategic discussions on space, warning of the risks of ceding leadership in space to authoritarian regimes. She stressed the importance of NASA’s partnerships with the commercial sector, citing the strong role of aerospace companies in Washington state. Cantwell called for urgency in funding Artemis, ensuring redundancy in lunar landers, and preventing China from dominating cislunar communications, framing space dominance as essential to America’s security and innovation.

SUMMARY OF WITNESS STATEMENT

• Mr. Cutler thanked the committee for bipartisan support and stressed that Artemis was both a space program and a statement of American leadership. He warned that China was advancing rapidly and could land on the moon first, thereby setting rules for space engagement. He highlighted that Artemis created economic benefits, returned $3 for every $1 invested, and was supported by a coalition of 56 partner nations through the Artemis Accords. He urged Congress to pass a robust multi-year authorization bill, hold NASA accountable, and sustain momentum to ensure America secured leadership in space for generations.

• Mr. Gold praised Congress for passing the “one big, beautiful bill” and specifically commended Senator Cruz’s leadership. He emphasized that the Gateway project was essential to extend lunar missions from days to months, enable lunar resource use, and deter Chinese influence in cislunar space. He argued that Gateway was also a geopolitical tool since international partners had already invested billions, and abandoning it would drive allies toward U.S. rivals. He stressed that low Earth orbit research, including breakthroughs in regenerative medicine and pharmaceuticals, required continued ISS support, warning that otherwise China could outpace the U.S. with more astronauts in space.

• Mr. Bridenstine endorsed the value of microgravity research in pharmaceuticals and regenerative medicine, warning that without a mission-capable space station, the U.S. would cede those breakthroughs and its partners to China. He praised the bipartisan support for human spaceflight funding in the “one big, beautiful bill.” However, he expressed serious doubts that the U.S. would land on the moon before China due to NASA’s chosen architecture. He criticized the reliance on SpaceX’s Starship refueling system as untested, overly complex, and risky, noting that astronauts could be left stranded on the lunar surface under current plans.

• Gen. Shaw called for a unified grand strategy for space that aligned civil, commercial, and national security efforts, which he said the U.S. currently lacked. He described how China already operated under such a strategy, integrating all sectors toward dominance in the Earth-Moon system. He emphasized that U.S. progress depended on building a robust logistics infrastructure for manufacturing, refueling, and servicing in space. He warned that China was already testing refueling in orbit and advancing cislunar communications and nuclear power, urging the U.S. to move faster and more cohesively to maintain leadership.

SUMMARY OF KEY Q&A

• Ranking Member Cantwell asked about the strategic importance of the lunar south pole. Mr. Gold said the limited number of sites with water and sunlight were critical and warned that China could seize them if the U.S. is slow.

  Cantwell asked about redundancy in lunar landers, and Mr. Bridenstine and Mr. Gold both agreed two landers were vital for safety and competition.

  Cantwell asked about a grand strategy, and Gen. Shaw explained that exploration must be tied to economic growth and security, citing the need for cislunar domain awareness. Cantwell pressed about communication security, and Shaw warned China had sent six communications payloads to the moon to build a network with dual military use.

• Sen. Fischer asked how Americans’ lives would be impacted if China established a lunar presence. Mr. Gold said U.S. allies would realign toward China, strengthening its trade and security ties and undermining U.S. innovation and economic base.

  Fischer asked about the Artemis Accords, and Mr. Bridenstine explained that they set rules for resource extraction similar to maritime law, ensuring ownership of what is mined without claiming sovereignty. Fischer asked if commercial launch demand would outstrip capacity, and Bridenstine confirmed it already had, warning that reliance on one provider like Starship could strain Cape Canaveral and force new launch sites.

• Sen. Kim asked how to explain the benefits of space to the public. Mr. Bridenstine said satellites already power communications, GPS, food production, energy, and weather prediction. Kim asked about partnerships with Japan, South Korea, and India, and Bridenstine described Japan’s deep involvement in ISS and Artemis and South Korea’s new participation. Mr. Gold added that the Artemis Accords created a family of nations working together, citing UAE’s partnership with Korea and Japan on the Hope mission. Kim concluded that space offers unique diplomatic partnerships insulated from politics and said he was encouraged by bipartisan energy.

• Sen. Moran asked about the risks of a continuing resolution for NASA funding. Mr. Bridenstine said appropriations were essential because CRs froze programs in outdated forms, while NASA needed flexibility to fund planetary defense, astrophysics, and missions like the James Webb Space Telescope, which demonstrated U.S. scientific leadership.

• Sen. Blackburn asked what Congress should do to foster innovation. Mr. Bridenstine said the U.S. should build infrastructure like Gateway with open standards to enable commercial partners and invest in nuclear power for space. Blackburn asked about reinstating collaborative programs like X-37B, and Bridenstine supported more NASA–DoD partnerships for propulsion and missile defense. Blackburn highlighted Tennessee’s Space Grant Consortium and asked about education, and Bridenstine said university-led missions kept projects on time and on budget while training the next STEM workforce.

• Sen. Rosen asked about proposed cuts to NASA aeronautics, ISS payloads, and science missions. Mr. Bridenstine said NASA was already less than 0.33% of the budget and that cuts would jeopardize innovation and human spaceflight. Gen. Shaw added that NASA inspired generations and cuts risked long-term leadership. Gold said the U.S. must at least match China’s orbital capabilities and avoid reducing American astronauts below four.

• Sen. Young asked how space and biotech were converging, highlighting Indiana’s role. Mr. Gold said microgravity was enabling breakthroughs such as 3D-printed tissues and seed-crystal drug development with Eli Lilly, urging sustained investment to maintain momentum and ensure the U.S. kept more astronauts in space than China.

• Sen. Hickenlooper asked for a threat assessment of China. Gen. Shaw said China had mirrored U.S. space capabilities while building weapons to threaten them, and he urged classified briefings. Hickenlooper asked about relocating U.S. Space Command, and Shaw deferred to Air Force leadership but emphasized continuity. Hickenlooper asked Mr. Bridenstine about space debris, and Shaw said remediation was too costly and instead stressed mitigation, situational awareness, and maneuverability given the risk of Kessler syndrome from growing mega-constellations.

• Sen. Sheehy asked whether NASA’s bureaucracy was capable of leading a new space race. Mr. Bridenstine said past programs failed from shifting administrations and argued the U.S. must build sustainable infrastructure like Gateway with private and international partners. Sheehy asked about blending NASA and Space Force missions, and Gen. Shaw said adversaries had already militarized space, so the U.S. must deter conflict while providing transparency and security for exploration.

• Sen. Lujan asked if large cuts to NASA and STEM programs would harm competitiveness with China. Mr. Cutler said industry workers were leaving Artemis projects for other jobs. Mr. Gold said cuts would damage momentum. Mr. Bridenstine clarified that STEM investments were best delivered through partnerships with universities and projects rather than broad education programs. Gen. Shaw said cuts would harm leadership and should be temporary. Lujan then asked about the suborbital program, and Bridenstine said it provided inexpensive microgravity testing vital for research and would be lost without funding.

• Sen. Moreno asked if $10 billion in funding was critical for NASA’s plans, and all agreed it was. He asked about nuclear fission, and Mr. Cutler said nuclear propulsion and power were essential for Mars missions and lunar bases, with Cleveland as the center of excellence. Moreno asked about NASA–DoD coordination, and Gen. Shaw said the two had always partnered on tracking and debris avoidance and would continue to as lunar presence expanded. Moreno closed by asking Mr. Bridenstine about the private sector, and he said NASA should build infrastructure to enable commercial partnerships but warned against dependence on a single monopoly. Mr. Gold added praise for Cleveland’s leadership in solar electric propulsion.

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