NASA Director Bill Nelson is confident that China's space program is of a military nature
WASHINGTON, April 18. /tass/. The United States expects to land astronauts on the moon before China out of fear of the militarization of outer space. This statement was made on Wednesday at a hearing in the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress by the director of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Bill Nelson.
When asked about the rivalry between the United States and China on the issue of lunar exploration, Nelson noted that the American lunar program Artemis, which involves the landing of astronauts at the south pole of the Earth's natural satellite, aims to "understand how [a person] can exist in this unfavorable environment in order to go to Mars in the future." At the same time, he stressed that "China has achieved outstanding success, especially in the last 10 years," but "very little is known about them."
"We believe that in many ways their so-called peaceful space program is of a military nature. And I think we are competing," Nelson said, noting that China openly declares plans to land Taikonauts on the moon by 2030. "But these [deadlines] are constantly shifting. We are tasked with being the first to be there and undertake research efforts for peaceful purposes," the head of the American space agency continued.
According to Nelson, his fears are that "China will get there first and suddenly say, 'Now this territory is mine, and you stay away.'" At the same time, he expressed the opinion that he did not consider this a "peaceful use" of outer space. "Of course, it is necessary to avoid intersections. But you can't claim that this whole territory has suddenly become yours," Nelson argued, while mentioning the situation around the Nansha Islands (Spratly) in the South China Sea.
The PRC has been arguing with some countries for several decades over the territorial affiliation of certain islands in the South China Sea, on the shelf of which significant hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered. First of all, we are talking about the Xisha Archipelago (Paracel Islands), the Nansha Islands (Spratly) and Huangyan (Scarborough Reef), these disputes concern Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
In March 2021, Roscosmos and China signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation on the creation of an International scientific lunar Station. During the implementation of the lunar program, the Chang'e-6, Chang 'e-7 and Chang'e-8 automatic stations will go to the Earth's natural satellite. The purpose of the first lunar missions will be to test key technologies, which will allow further construction of a complex of experimental research facilities that can be controlled remotely. The first mission will go to the Moon in 2026, and the project is scheduled to be completed by 2028. In early March, the head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, said that Russia and China are considering the possibility of delivering a nuclear power plant to the Moon and installing it on its surface in 2033-2035.