A top SpaceX executive, William Gerstenmaier, warned government regulators that regulation was stifling the company's progress on its Starship mega rocket, potentially allowing China to beat the US to landing astronauts on the Moon again. Gerstenmaier delivered the message on Wednesday to the Senate subcommittee on space and science at a hearing on commercial space regulations. Gerstenmaier, who is SpaceX's VP for build and reliability, said regulatory delays have put SpaceX a month behind in testing their next Starship prototype. Gerstenmaier warned these regulatory delays could mean China lands astronauts on the Moon before the US does. NASA aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2025 but it's not clear if SpaceX can meet that goal.
