Exclusive | US tech rules bar UAE moon rover from China’s Chang’e 7 mission: sources
- The United Arab Emirates’ Rashid-2 has fallen foul of restrictions aimed at keeping sensitive technology out of Chinese hands
- Deemed outdated, ITAR legislation bans even common US components from being carried on board rockets launched in China
But the pact, signed between the two countries’ space agencies in September, has fallen foul of US legislation according to the sources, who asked for anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity.
Both sources pointed to the 1976 International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which bans even the most common US-built widget from being launched aboard Chinese rockets.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, which is developing the moon rover, has been contacted for comment.
John Logsdon, professor emeritus of space policy at George Washington University, said ITAR mainly consisted of a list of defence and military-related technologies that could not be exported without a licence from the State Department. “There are a few exceptions for close US allies,” he said.