NASA chief warns China could claim land on the moon if it wins new ‘space race’

The top NASA official says the United States is in new territory space race With China He warned that a Chinese victory could lead to the country’s claim to “owning” vast areas of the moon.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, a former astronaut and Florida senator, warned that it is entirely possible for China to encircle the most resource-rich regions of the moon if it establishes a presence there first, Politico reported Sunday.

“It’s a fact: We’re in a space race,” he told the outlet. “And it’s true that we better warn that they don’t get to a place on the Moon under the guise of scientific research. It’s not far from the realm of possibility that they can say, ‘Go away, we’re here, this is our territory.'”

Nelson went on to point to China’s aggression in the South China Sea, where the Chinese government routinely claims sovereignty over territories belonging to other countries.

NASA Space CAPSULE orbiting the Moon

China’s burgeoning space program has succeeded Create a new space station earlier this year. Meanwhile, NASA is working on a series of Artemis missions to the Moon.

After an “unexpected loss” NASA says the spacecraft’s communications have been restored

Artemis I launched in November for a 26-day mission take pictures of the lunar surface, And the Artemis II and III missions are progressing toward more established lunar activity.

NASA has also focused on Mars, however, sending several robotic rovers to the planet to collect data on the planet’s soil, atmosphere, and potential landing areas for a manned mission.

On the sixth day of the Artemis I mission, the Orion Optical Navigation Camera captured black and white images of craters on the lunar surface below.
(NASA Johnson)

In this image provided by NASA, the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 mission lifts off into the Pacific Ocean after a 25.5-day mission to the Moon, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022.
(NASA via AP)

Artemis returned to Earth and splashed in the Pacific Ocean in December.

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Chinese investment in spaceflight and other missile technology comes amid an ongoing arms race with the United States and Russia as all three countries are currently developing hypersonic weapons.