China's staged lunar landing plan seen as safer but slower than NASA's commercial bet

China outlined a full dress rehearsal for its crewed moon landing, docking the Lanyue lander and Mengzhou spacecraft in lunar orbit before a crewed attempt, while NASA is relying on commercial landers. A US space policy analyst suggests China's approach is tougher on schedule but safer. The competing timelines signal an intensifying space race, with implications for technological prestige and potential strategic competition.

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