Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps “The New Race to the Moon: China, MAGA, SpaceX & Mars” with Jeffrey Kluger
Nov 13, 2025
Jeffrey Kluger, editor-at-large at Time magazine and space history author, joins to dissect the modern space race. He explores how private companies are challenging traditional players like NASA and the geopolitical implications of China's lunar ambitions. Kluger discusses the ambitious Artemis program, the struggles of SpaceX's Starship, and the challenges in developing a new lunar lander. Can the U.S. reclaim its lead in space exploration, or are we watching a battle of billionaires with oversized dreams? The future of lunar exploration hangs in the balance.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Why Lunar Momentum Vanished
- After Apollo the public lost appetite and Nixon deliberately defunded deep lunar exploration.
- That political shift redirected US efforts into low Earth orbit and the shuttle program.
Budget Cuts Explain Slower Progress
- NASA's budget fell from about 4% of the federal budget in the 1960s to roughly 0.4% today.
- That drastic proportional decline limits what NASA can achieve without strong congressional support.
Apollo Sites Got Increasingly Challenging
- Jeffrey Kluger explains Apollo landed at six different lunar sites, moving progressively to hillier terrain.
- He notes modern plans target the lunar South Pole because its permanently shadowed craters hold usable water ice.
