NASA says America will win 'the second space race' against China

"We're going back to the moon, and this time, when we plant our flag, we stay," Duffy explains in the video. "I'm committed to getting us back to the moon before President Trump leaves office."

The former Wisconsin Congressman is the first head of NASA who has acknowledged a space race against China, as the Transportation Secretary looks to accomplish the exploration goals Trump has long pushed for. 

Duffy says the Artemis program, named after the twin sister of the Greek Olympian god Apollo, will ultimately get the United States to Mars, indicating that the key space program originated under President Trump's first term will be an important part of the United States' dominance in space travel. 

American astronauts haven't touched the surface of the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

The Artemis I mission, completed in 2022, ended in a successful splashdown after launching the sizable Space Launch System (SLS) and orbiting the Orion spacecraft around the moon during a 25-day mission. 

While the Artemis program was thought to be on the chopping block in the proposed multi-billion dollar slash to NASA, sources at the agency told Fox News Digital that Artemis will play a major role in space exploration and will not be fully gutted by the proposal. 

"Our program is called Artemis," Duffy said. "And what we learn through Artemis gets us to Mars."