Fault Lines Episode 578: Artemis II: Space Race or New Fantastic Four?

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

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Fault Lines Episode 578: Artemis II: Space Race or New Fantastic Four? is an episode from Fault Lines by National Security Institute.

This episode is 11:47 long.

This episode was published on Apr 3, 2026.

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