The New Space Race: NASA, Artemis, and the Race to the Moon
5/6/202630 min
Morgan Brennan speaks with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman about the next phase of American space exploration and the urgency behind returning to the moon. They discuss the Artemis program, the challenges of cost, speed, and execution, and how a new competitive landscape is reshaping NASA’s priorities.
The conversation covers the role of public-private partnerships, the rise of commercial space companies, and the need to rebuild core capabilities within NASA. Isaacman also outlines how the agency is shifting toward faster iteration, clearer demand signals for industry, and a more focused strategy to compete in what he describes as a new space race.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJared Isaacman· Guest0:00
We are gonna get back into the habit of launching moon rockets in months, not years.
Morgan Brennan· Host0:04
Why is it so important for us to go back to the moon?
Jared Isaacman· Guest0:07
This was a promise that was made and a promise we need to keep. When we return to the moon, America will not look down on the prime lunar real estate while our rivals occupy it. NASA astronauts will be on the surface, building President Trump's moon base, and we will realize the scientific, economic, and national security potential surface operations provide. [screen whooshes] A lot of people when I came to this job was like, "Industry's not gonna let you do what you wanna do, and the politicians aren't gonna let you do what you wanna do." But you know what? They all understand the difference between America winning and losing on the moon, saying for thirty-five years and putting a hundred billion dollars in, and then coming up short, and that doesn't have national security implications. You're completely mistaken.
Speaker 20:44
What does it take to win a new space race? For decades, space exploration was defined by a single moment: landing on the moon. But today, the challenge is different. It's not just about getting there. It's about building the systems, infrastructure, and cadence to return and stay. NASA now faces a new kind of competition, one that is measured not in decades, but in years or even months. That shift is forcing a rethink of everything from how missions are built to how capital and talent are deployed. The question is not whether we can return to the moon, but whether we can do it fast enough. Recorded at the a16z American Dynamism Summit, Morgan Brennan speaks with NASA administrator