NASA Administrator Sean Duffy says the US will send a 4-man crew to the moon at the beginning of next year

In a newly released video obtained by Fox News Digital, NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy declared that the United States will return to the Moon before President Donald Trump leaves office, vowing that the country will “win the second space race” against China.

Duffy, who is also serving as Secretary of Transportation, outlined his vision for NASA under Trump’s leadership. “We’re going back to the Moon, and this time, when we plant our flag, we stay,” he said. “I’m committed to getting us back to the Moon before President Trump leaves office.”

The former Wisconsin congressman is the first NASA chief to explicitly frame the current push as a space race with China. He emphasized that the Artemis program, launched during Trump’s first term, would be central not only to the Moon mission but also to the longer-term goal of reaching Mars. “China wants to get there, but we’re getting there first,” Duffy said.

The Artemis I mission in 2022 successfully sent the Orion spacecraft around the Moon, marking NASA’s biggest step in lunar exploration since Apollo 17 in 1972. Despite Trump’s proposed 24% cut to NASA’s budget, Duffy indicated the Artemis program remains the cornerstone of America’s space ambitions, framing it as essential to U.S. dominance in future exploration.