Commentary
It appears that a 2022 agreement between China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to have a 15-pound moon rover hitch a ride on the 2026 Chinese Chang-e-7 unmanned probe to the moon has reportedly been canceled following objections from the United States that it may violate U.S. International Traffic In Arms Regulations (ITAR).
While the cancellation has not been confirmed yet by any public announcement from China or the UAE, it was unofficially announced on March 24 in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a Hong-Kong based newspaper owned by Alibaba Group.
The UAE is also an original 2020 signatory to the U.S.-led Artemis Accords, in which 23 nations now pledge “to commit to seek to refrain from any intentional actions that may create harmful interference with each other’s use of outer space in their activities under these Accords.”…