US and allies should beat China in space race to assure rules-based order there: experts and lawmakers
- Country that lands on moon next will be able to set precedent for whether later lunar activities are open or restricted, says House space panel chair
- US must build an ‘architecture’ in space to enable ‘ability to monitor and respond to irresponsible or threatening behaviour’, policy paper adds
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 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.
The country that lands on the moon next will be able to “set a precedent for whether future lunar activities are conducted with openness and transparency or in a more restricted manner”, Lucas said.
Last week Nasa announced delays to its Artemis programme over safety concerns, a day after the US made its first attempt to land a robot on the lunar surface since 1972. The attempt failed due to technical problems.