We now find ourselves amid a new space race of sorts, with China’s military-led space program quickly developing the means to send its own taikonauts, or Chinese astronauts, to the moon’s strategically valuable southern pole, with a target date of 2030. But does that really matter? Is this new 21st-century space race a strategic competition, or is it little more than nationalism wrapped in media hyperbole? If America reached the moon 56 years ago, is there really any reason to invest billions of dollars into racing to prove it can do it again? The answer just might be yes.