Steve Durst – the US citizen space diplomat who reached out to China
The man who secretly bridged the US-China space divide for 40+ years just passed away.
Deep Dive
Steve Durst, a US space entrepreneur who spent decades building rare, unofficial bridges with China's space sector, has died at 82. He founded the International Lunar Observatory Association and was publishing on China's astronaut training as early as 1980. His final legacy is a cutting-edge optical camera, funded by his organization, which will fly aboard China's Chang'e-7 mission to the moon's south pole later this year.
Why It Matters
His death highlights a unique, fading channel of US-China space cooperation amid rising geopolitical tensions.