Fault Lines Episode 578: Artemis II: Space Race or New Fantastic Four?
From Fault Lines by National Security Institute
April 3, 2026 · 12 min · Episode 578
About this episode
The episode discusses the launch of Artemis II and the implications of U.S. and allied space efforts in the context of competition with China and Russia.
Today, Les, Jess, Matthew, and Algene discuss Artemis 2's launch this week, sending four astronauts on a ten-day trip around the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 — built with allied partners in Canada and Europe, and costing a fraction of what the original moonshots ran. But while Americans are glued to the launch, China and Russia are quietly teaming up on their own lunar ambitions, with Beijing eyeing a base near the Moon's south pole. Can the U.S. and its allies out-innovate and out-invest a coordinated rival space program? As commercial launch costs plummet and private sector involvement grows, what does the future of allied cooperation in space actually look like? What does it take to inspire the next generation of explorers? Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines. @lestermunson @nottvjessjones @AlgeneSajery Like what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter! We are also on YouTube; watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/qFl1UTQp3v4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Hosts: Les, Jess
Topics covered
- Artemis II
- space race
- lunar exploration
- U.S. space policy
- China and Russia space collaboration
Keywords
- moon
- Apollo 17
- commercial launch
- private sector
- explorers
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Artemis 2
Books & works: Artemis II, Apollo 17
Places: Moon, Canada, Europe, China, Russia, Beijing, U.S.
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