NASA chief concerned China may deny access to parts of South Pole

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said China's delay of the Chang'e 7 mission to early next year gives the US a chance to reach the lunar South Pole first. He warned China could establish exclusion zones around Shackleton Crater, where water ice is believed to be trapped.

• China delayed the Chang'e 7 robotic mission to the lunar South Pole until early next year
• The mission carries rovers and hopper drones to study water ice deposits
• NASA may reach the South Pole first with Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 in spring 2027
• China aims to land its first astronauts on the Moon by 2030