OREANDA-NEWS  The head of NASA, Bill Nelson, doubted that Russia is able to compete with the United States and China in landing people at the South Pole of the Moon.

"I don't think there are many people at the moment who could say that Russia is really ready to send astronauts to the moon in the time that we plan, or perhaps China could. I think the space race is really happening between us and China," Nelson said at a press conference on Tuesday.

He noted that the United States and Russia have been cooperating fruitfully in space for a long time and wished success to the Russian Luna-25 mission.

Nelson also said he feared that if China were the first to land people at the South Pole of the moon, it could claim resource-rich territories.

"If we really find a lot of water there (at the South Pole of the Moon) that can be used by future crews and spacecraft, then we want to ensure that it is available to everyone, not just those who claim it," he said.

On April 19, Nelson announced that NASA expects to land two astronauts on the moon at the end of 2025 or in 2026 as part of the Artemis 3 (Artemis-3) mission.

The Artemis program ("Artemis") was unveiled in September 2020. Its main goal is the return of American astronauts to the lunar surface more than 50 years after the last mission, the construction of a lunar station and the preparation of conditions for possible colonization of the Moon in the future.

On May 29, the China Manned Flight Program Administration (CMSA) announced plans to send Chinese taikonauts to the surface of the Moon earlier than 2030.

Russia is currently preparing for its first mission to the moon in modern history. The launch of the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with the Fregat upper stage and the Luna-25 automatic station is scheduled for August 11 at 02:10 Moscow time. The previous station, the Soviet Luna-24, was launched in 1976.

On October 4, 2022, the head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, reported that by 2030 Russia would be technologically ready to land astronauts on the Moon.