US and allies should beat China in space race to assure rules-based order there: experts and lawmakers

The US and its allies should win the 21st century space race and lead a rules-based international order there before China creates its own undesirable norms, American space experts, government officials and lawmakers urged on Wednesday.

“The Chinese Communist Party is actively soliciting international partners for a lunar research station and has stated its ambition to have astronauts on the lunar surface by 2030”, said Frank Lucas, chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

The Oklahoma Republican delivered his observation at a congressional hearing on Nasa’s Artemis programme, which aims to send four astronauts to the moon by 2026.

USA: “you guys feel free to do anything but communism up here, k?”