Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent: An Israeli drone attacked the main road in the town of Harouf, South Lebanon.
Lebanese President: Israeli aggression on Blida took place in aftermath of meeting of ceasefire monitoring committee.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asks Commander of Lebanese Army to confront any Israeli incursion into liberated Lebanese territory in the South.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli aircraft launch series of strikes on area of Jarmaq, South Lebanon.
Reuters: Afghanistan and Pakistan agree to restart peace talks in Istanbul.
Al-Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Blida municipality building two hours after occupying it, and the Lebanese army enters
Pakistani army: 6 soldiers and 7 militants killed in clash near the Afghan border
Israeli media: Sirens sound in the settlement of Kerem Shalom in the Gaza envelope area
Afghan source to Al Mayadeen: We still believe in dialogue and prioritize diplomatic solutions with Pakistan; though we are ready for all possibilities.
Afghan source to Al Mayadeen: Pakistan purposely obstructed negotiations in Turkey by making unrealistic demands.

NASA chief warns of China’s rising challenge in space race

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Fox News
  • 15 Sep 2025 19:59
4 Min Read

Acting NASA chief Sean Duffy warned that China’s rapid lunar ambitions and structural advantages pose the toughest US space challenge since the Cold War.

Listen
  • x
  • ap
    A Long March-5 rocket sits on the launch pad at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Wenchang in southern China's Hainan Province, early Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. Chinese technicians are making final preparations for a mission to bring back material from the moon's surface for the first time in more than four decades, an undertaking that could boost human understanding of the moon and of the solar system more generally (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy has cautioned that the United States is confronting its toughest competition in space since the Cold War, pointing to China's rapid advances and ambitions to establish a base on the Moon.

"The stakes could not be higher. For the first time since the Cold War, the US faces a formidable rival in space. China is advancing plans for a lunar base," Duffy wrote Monday in an opinion piece for Fox News. He argued that Washington cannot allow Beijing to seize the upper hand in space capabilities, warning of "far-reaching implications for security and global leadership."

"America can't afford to let that happen," he added.

Push for reforms inside NASA

Duffy stressed that NASA must overhaul its internal operations in order to compete effectively. "NASA must be leaner, smarter and more mission-focused. Bloated bureaucracy, inefficiencies in contract procurement and a culture of overcaution have consistently grounded NASA missions," he said.

Related News

NASA bars Chinese nationals from programs, research access

Politico: NASA head Duffy to fast-track nuclear reactor on the moon

He singled out large-scale projects such as the Space Launch System and the Mars Sample Return, which he described as consuming enormous budgets while suffering repeated delays. "If we want to beat China to the Moon, we must move beyond bureaucratic box-checking. America no longer has the luxury of wasting time. If the technology is ready, launch it. If the innovation works, trust it," Duffy argued.

Global stakes in lunar competition

The NASA chief's remarks reflect growing unease in Washington over China's plans to expand its presence in space, with particular focus on the Moon. Beijing, together with Russia, is advancing the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a joint project aiming for a permanent base by 2035, and has already attracted multiple international partners. Analysts warn that this kind of space diplomacy could shift global alignments, giving China soft-power leverage alongside its technological edge.

Observers also point out that China has structural advantages: centralized planning, strong state funding, and the integration of military and civilian programs. This allows Beijing to execute ambitious missions quickly, such as its Chang'e lunar sample return and its historic far-side lunar landing, which the US has not matched. Meanwhile, NASA's Artemis program has been plagued by delays and cost overruns, raising concerns in Congress that the US risks "losing the Moon race to China."

At the same time, commercial space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin provide Washington with a competitive edge, offering cheaper and faster launches and driving innovation. Duffy noted the importance of harnessing this private-sector momentum to keep the US ahead.

Beyond exploration: security implications

Military officials have echoed Duffy's warnings, speculating that China's expanding satellite constellations and anti-satellite capabilities could pose risks to US communications and navigation systems. Analysts say that if Beijing secures control of critical lunar infrastructure, it could establish strategic dominance in cislunar space, the area between Earth and the Moon.

Just last week, Duffy asserted that the United States remains ahead in space exploration and will do "everything" to complete the Mars Sample Return mission before China or any other country. But experts stress that unless NASA accelerates its timelines and trims bureaucracy, China's momentum could close the gap faster than Washington expects.

Read more: Politico: NASA head Duffy to fast-track nuclear reactor on the moon

  • space race
  • lunar base
  • China
  • NASA
  • Artemis
  • Sean Duffy

Most Read

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Hi-tech holocaust: Microsoft’s role in Gaza genocide

Microsoft's role in world’s first AI-driven genocide, in Gaza, exposed

  • Technology
  • 28 Oct 2025
What Marr evidently didn't seem to understand was that Hedges isn't saying that Western journalists manipulate the truth, but that they systematically amplify Israeli narratives they know are false. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Western journalists know they have a case to answer for their betrayal of Gaza, and it frightens them

  • Opinion
  • 24 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
An undated photo of US Air Force personnel from the 576th Flight Test Squadron Missile Handling Team installing a cable raceway on an intercontinental ballistic missile at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California (Staff Sgt Jonathan Snyder/US Air Force)
Politics

Trump nuclear test threat risks escalating tensions with China: NYT

Displaced Palestinians walk along the coastal road near Wadi Gaza in the central Gaza Strip, moving toward northern Gaza, Friday, Octtober. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Politics

US advances Gaza security force plan amid fragile ceasefire

Sam Altman, co-founder and chief executive officer, OpenAI, listens to testimony during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Technology

OpenAI prepares for historic IPO targeting $1 trillion valuation

'Israel' approves illegal settlement expansion in occupied al-Quds
Politics

'Israel' approves illegal settlement expansion in occupied al-Quds

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS