America risks losing to China in the Moon race

The former NASA chief warns that the US could lose the race to the Moon to China, as the Trump administration proposes canceling the SLS and Gateway programs. Meanwhile, SpaceX is allowed to double its Florida launches, and Alibaba is pushing to use AI to improve its business efficiency.

America risks losing to China in the Moon race

On September 3, US Senator Ted Cruz strongly criticized the Trump administration’s proposal to cancel the SLS rocket and Lunar Gateway space station after the Artemis III mission, calling it a “mistake” when most of the equipment has already been built and there is no alternative from the private sector.

Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in 2020. (Source: Getty Images)

In a Senate hearing, space experts warned that the US could lose the race to the Moon to China. Former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said SpaceX's Starship lander architecture is too complex to compete with China's plans: "It is highly unlikely that the United States will beat China's projected timeline."

Senator Cruz proposes maintaining $6.7 billion investment to continue SLS missions and build Gateway as a strategic base around the Moon.

SpaceX gets permission to double rocket launches in Florida

On September 3, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completed an environmental assessment, allowing SpaceX to increase the number of Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Space Station to a maximum of 120 times per year, compared to the current 50 times.

Falcon rocket launched in the US. (Source: SpaceX)

SpaceX also received approval to build a new landing area on site that can accommodate up to 34 reusable booster landings per year. Environmental protection measures include using sea turtle-friendly lighting and conducting pre-construction wildlife surveys.

This is an important step to help SpaceX reduce its tight launch schedule, serving commercial customers, the Department of Defense and the Starlink satellite network.

Alibaba accelerates AI application to improve efficiency

Chinese tech giant Alibaba is ramping up its investment in artificial intelligence (AI) to help businesses digitally transform and boost sales. Alibaba’s B2B e-commerce platform 1688 has rolled out a series of AI tools to help buyers find products faster, manage them more intelligently, and reduce operating costs.

Alibaba showcases its latest technology products at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025. (Source: VCG)

Alibaba integrated the Qwen large language model and open-source technology from startup DeepSeek into the system, while upgrading AI “digital workers” to perform tasks such as product listings, market analysis and business strategy formulation.

The group also pledged to invest more than 380 billion yuan (about $53.2 billion) over the next three years to develop cloud computing infrastructure and AI hardware. Revenue from the cloud segment increased 26% year-on-year, mainly due to demand for AI-related products1.

Minh Hoan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cong-nghe-4-9-trung-quoc-co-the-vuot-my-trong-cuoc-dua-mat-trang-ar963516.html