Musk, Bezos Ramp Up Moon Race as China Looms

SpaceX and Blue Origin compete to build lunar bases and return astronauts to the moon ahead of China's planned 2030 mission.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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The space race between U.S. billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos is heating up, with their companies SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively, racing to build lunar bases and return astronauts to the moon before China's planned 2030 mission. Musk has said SpaceX wants to build "Moonbase Alpha" and put a satellite-launching device on the lunar surface, while Bezos has shifted Blue Origin's focus to its Blue Moon lunar lander program. The rivalry is rippling through the U.S. lunar industry, with increased investment interest and NASA pressing the companies to speed up their lunar lander development.

Why it matters

The renewed focus on the moon by SpaceX and Blue Origin comes as the U.S. government aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface through its Artemis program, in part to compete with China's own plans for a 2030 moon landing. Establishing an early presence and infrastructure on the moon could give SpaceX, Blue Origin, and the U.S. a strategic advantage.

The details

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said the company wants to build a lunar base called "Moonbase Alpha" and put a satellite-launching device on the moon, shifting focus from its previous goal of colonizing Mars. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin has shut down its suborbital space tourism business to dedicate more resources to its Blue Moon lunar lander program, which is aiming for an uncrewed mission to the lunar surface this year as a precursor to an astronaut landing. Both companies are receiving billions in funding from NASA to develop their lunar landers as part of the Artemis program, which aims to land astronauts on the moon starting as early as 2028.

  • SpaceX acquired Musk's xAI company earlier this month.
  • Blue Origin's lunar lander was shipped to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas last week for testing.
  • SpaceX's Starship rocket has launched 11 times since 2023 and is preparing for an upgraded test in the next month.
  • NASA is pressing SpaceX and Blue Origin to speed up their lunar lander development to beat China's planned 2030 moon landing.

The players

Elon Musk

The CEO of SpaceX, who has said the company wants to build a lunar base called "Moonbase Alpha" and put a satellite-launching device on the moon.

Jeff Bezos

The founder of Blue Origin, which has shifted its focus to the Blue Moon lunar lander program and plans an uncrewed mission to the lunar surface this year.

SpaceX

The aerospace company founded by Elon Musk that is developing the Starship rocket and lunar lander for NASA's Artemis program.

Blue Origin

The aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos that is developing the Blue Moon lunar lander for NASA's Artemis program.

NASA

The U.S. space agency that is funding the development of lunar landers by SpaceX and Blue Origin as part of its Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon.

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What they’re saying

“If the moon becomes a strategic jump-off point, and one that's important to SpaceX, if they can get there first or early and build out that infrastructure, they might have a say in how that gets used and how they use it.”

— Andrew Chanin, CEO, ProcureAM (yahoo.com)

“With Elon making these statements, that company is now laser-focused on getting back to the moon.”

— Kathy Lueders, Independent industry advisor, former NASA official (yahoo.com)

What’s next

SpaceX is aiming to conduct an upgraded test of its Starship rocket in the next month, a key step in its development as a lunar lander. Blue Origin's uncrewed lunar lander mission is planned for later this year, ahead of a crewed landing.

The takeaway

The renewed space race between Musk and Bezos to reach the moon first underscores the high stakes involved, with both companies vying to gain a strategic foothold and influence over future lunar exploration and development. This competition is driving increased investment and urgency in the U.S. lunar industry as it seeks to beat China's own ambitions for a 2030 moon landing.