The Global Story The new race to the Moon
Feb 23, 2026
Rebecca Murrell, BBC science editor and space specialist, guides listeners through the renewed lunar push. She describes Artemis II, launch-day rituals and crew preparation. She traces the program’s history, costs and commercial partnerships. She compares US plans with China’s steady progression and explores the broader multi-player race to establish a long-term Moon presence.
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Artemis II Reintroduces Crewed Lunar Flights
- NASA's Artemis program is reviving human lunar missions after a 50-year gap.
- Artemis II will carry four astronauts around the Moon in Orion, marking the first crewed lunar flight since Apollo and testing systems for later landings.
Cold War Origins Drove Apollo's Speed
- The original Apollo push was driven by Cold War geopolitics and national prestige rather than pure science.
- Sputnik, Laika and Yuri Gagarin accelerated US investment culminating in Kennedy's 1962 moon goal and six Apollo landings by 1972.
Cost, Not Capability, Paused Moon Landings
- High cost ended Apollo-era lunar missions despite technical success.
- The Apollo program cost about $25.8 billion then, roughly $257 billion today, pushing the US to focus on cheaper low Earth orbit projects like Skylab, shuttle, and the ISS.