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

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman warned China could block access to lunar South Pole sites such as Shackleton crater, prized for ice in permanently shadowed cold traps. He welcomed Beijing delaying its Chang'e 7 robotic mission there until early next year, noting both nations seek enduring bases at the pole and that arriving second would have global impact. U.S. officials increasingly fear China may declare exclusion zones for robotic and human missions.