{"id":639831,"date":"2026-04-30T04:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T04:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/639831\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T04:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T04:32:13","slug":"us-lawmakers-warn-china-is-top-space-rival-as-race-to-the-moon-intensifies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/639831\/","title":{"rendered":"US lawmakers warn China is top space rival as race to the moon intensifies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">China<\/a> is the United States\u2019 \u201cmost consequential threat and competitor in space,\u201d leveraging its capabilities \u201cas a tool of diplomacy and influence\u201d, US lawmakers were told at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, as the two countries\u2019 race to the moon intensifies.The US and China are locked in a <a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/chinas-space-programme?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">high-stakes space race<\/a>, with both nations aiming to put astronauts on the moon in the coming years. While China has set a 2030 target for its first crewed lunar landing, the <a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/science\/article\/3348929\/china-watching-hawk-us-artemis-2-crew-fixes-toilet-moon-trip?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">US\u2019 Artemis programme<\/a> aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028 and to begin establishing an outpost by 2030, setting up a tight race between the two superpowers.\u201cAs nations align with either <a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/united-states?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the US<\/a> or China in standards, the winner will not just supply technology \u2013 it will set the terms by which information flows, networks interoperate, and how the world is seen,\u201d said Kari Bingen, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, at a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">Randy Fine, a Republican congressman from Florida, told the hearing that when it comes to space, he is \u201cvery concerned about China, as I know many people are. I think China sees itself at war with us. I think we don\u2019t oftentimes look at it the same way\u201d.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">The past year has seen several key developments in the modern space race, as the US completed the second successful mission in its Artemis programme and China made key advancements in preparation for its 2030 moon mission.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-qa=\"BaseImage-handleRenderImage-StyledImage\" class=\"e1o401188 css-1w1l3op e445x7d0\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772207289_682_maxresdefault.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-qa=\"SCMPYoutubeVideoPreview-PreviewDuration\" class=\"css-1vqvq42 e1o401181\">06:25<\/p>\n<p data-qa=\"SCMPYoutubeVideoPreview-PreviewTitle\" class=\"css-zasw6y e1o401182\">Will Musk\u2019s moon pivot put SpaceX on a collision course with China\u2019s lunar ambitions?<\/p>\n<p>Will Musk\u2019s moon pivot put SpaceX on a collision course with China\u2019s lunar ambitions?<\/p>\n<p>The US remains the only country to have successfully put humans on the moon. Other nations, including China, <a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/india?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">India<\/a>, and the former Soviet Union, have successfully landed robotic missions on the lunar surface.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"China is the United States\u2019 \u201cmost consequential threat and competitor in space,\u201d leveraging its capabilities \u201cas a tool&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639832,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[59745,3105,44688,64,63,37528,512,4935,131,309857,128,285,105,309858,2489],"class_list":["post-639831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-aerospace","tag-artemis","tag-astronauts","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-belt-and-road-initiative","tag-china","tag-moon","tag-nasa","tag-race-to-the-moon","tag-science","tag-space","tag-technology","tag-technology-standards","tag-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639831"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639831\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}