Special economic zones for restoring American space dominance

Will China beat America in returning astronauts to the moon? We hear this question time and again. It is a perennial concern, both from a prestige and national security standpoint. But it is the wrong question. What we really need to assess is whether or not China is on track to dominate America in space.

Today, the United States has framed the next moonwalk as a “race,” with rhetoric from officials proclaiming American intent to beat China as if it were a track meet. But we are very far from making a credible attempt to even get on the field of play. The Artemis program, the NASA initiative to return Americans back to the moon for the first time since 1972, is not equipped to even offer a challenge against China’s lunar program timelines. Government officials are intent on using the Spac