NASA chief warns China could claim territory on the moon if it wins another ‘space race’
NASA’s top administrator said the United States was in a new space race with China and warned that a Chinese victory could lead to the country claiming to “own” large swaths of the moon.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, a former astronaut and Florida senator, has warned that it is entirely possible that China will seal off the most resource-rich areas of the lunar surface if it first establishes a attendance, Politico reported Sunday.
“It’s a fact: we’re in a space race,” he told the outlet. “And it’s true that we better be careful that they don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research. And it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Stand away, we are here, this is our territory.’”
Nelson went on to highlight China’s aggression in the South China Sea, where the Chinese government has regularly claimed sovereignty over areas belonging to other countries.
NASA SPACE CAPSULE TURNS THE MOON
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft stands on launch pad 39B as final preparations are underway for the Artemis I mission at Kennedy Space Center on November 15, 2022.
(Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
China’s burgeoning space program successfully established a new space station earlier this year. Meanwhile, NASA is working on its series of Artemis missions to the Moon.
AFTER ‘UNEXPECTED LOSS’, NASA SAYS ORION SPACECRAFT COMMUNICATIONS RESTORED
Artemis I launched in November for a 26-day mission taking pictures of the lunar surface, and the Artemis II and III missions are progressing toward more established activity on the moon.
However, NASA has also focused on Mars, sending several robotic rovers to the planet to gather data on the planet’s soil, atmosphere and potential landing zones for a manned mission.
On day six of the Artemis I mission, Orion’s optical navigation camera captured black-and-white images of craters on the Moon below.
(NASA Johnson)
In this photo provided by NASA, the Orion spacecraft from the Artemis I mission crashes into the Pacific Ocean after a 25.5-day mission to the Moon, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022.
(NASA via AP)
Artemis I returned to land and dived into the Pacific Ocean in December.
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Chinese investments in spaceflight and other rocketry technologies are part of an ongoing arms race with the United States and Russia, with all three countries currently developing hypersonic weapons.
Fox Gt
