US lawmakers warn China is top space rival as race to the moon intensifies

China is the United States’ “most consequential threat and competitor in space”, leveraging its capabilities “as a tool of diplomacy and influence”, US lawmakers were told at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, as the two countries’ race to the moon intensifies.

The US and China are locked in a high-stakes space race, 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 US’ Artemis programme 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.

“As nations align with either the US or China in standards, the winner will not just supply technology – it will set the terms by which information flows, networks interoperate, and how the world is seen,” 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.