NASA races to build moon base as US challenges China in new space race

NASA is racing to establish a permanent human presence on the moon as the U.S. looks to beat China's ambitions on the lunar surface amid intensifying competition in space.

The Trump administration’s push for a roughly $20 billion moon base marks a major shift in NASA’s strategy, moving away from plans for a lunar-orbiting space station and toward building infrastructure directly on the moon as a long-term foothold for deep space exploration.

"This time, the goal is not flags and footprints,"...