A multibillion-dollar contract between NASA and SpaceX is under scrutiny as the Elon Musk-helmed space company’s plans to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon keep slipping.

As the New York Times reports, experts are now warning that China could beat the United States in the race back to the Moon. After a series of successful robotic missions to the Earth’s natural satellite, the country has made major strides in its efforts to launch its “Lanyue” lunar lander to the Moon before 2030.

While NASA’s first crewed landing attempt since the 1970s, Artemis 3, is tentatively scheduled for no earlier than mid-2027, experts warn that relying on Musk’s SpaceX could set the space agency up for an ever-slipping timeline.

Current and former NASA officials told the NYT that the concerns were

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