NASA Reauthorisation Act Advances as Lawmakers Warn Us Cannot Lose Space Race to China

Space Shuttle Columbia launching; Republican congressmen argue that America's lead in space exploration is under threat as China advances its own lunar programme. (Credit: NASA/WikiMedia Commons)

Two Republican congressmen are pushing to secure NASA's funding path as the agency marks 68 years since its founding on 29 July. They argue the stakes have never been higher, with China closing in on its own crewed Moon landing ambitions.

Reps Matt Van Epps of Tennessee and Mike Haridopolos of Florida, both members of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, wrote that 'the United States cannot afford to watch from the sidelines' as Beijing accelerates its space programme. Their warning comes as NASA faces competing budget pressures and a Chinese space programme that has demonstrated rapid, sustained progress over the past decade.