“You stay out now”
NASA chief warns of China’s space program
07/02/2022 02:58 am
Bill Nelson thinks China’s lunar ambition is a military program. NASA bosses also complain about technology piracy – and worry that the Chinese may “capture” the Moon.
NASA boss Bill Nelson has warned about the Chinese space program. “We should be very concerned that China lands on the Moon and says: It’s ours now and you stay out,” he told “Build” newspaper, adding that “China’s space program is a military space program.” Unlike the American “Artemis” program, the Chinese are unwilling to share their research results and use the Moon together. “There’s a new race to space – this time with China.”
China is working on sending its astronauts to the moon. The People’s Republic has landed several times on the lunar surface with research robots and successfully returned moon rocks to Earth. In the 2030s, according to reports from Chinese state media, a permanent station on the Moon is to be built in another step. Therefore the research center can be jointly established and operated with Russia.
Asked what military objectives China might have in space, Nelson told the newspaper, “Well, what do you think is happening on the Chinese space station? They’re learning how to shoot other people’s satellites.” How to destroy In addition, Nelson lamented China’s technology theft: “China is good. But China is also good because they steal other people’s ideas and technologies.”
China wants to be in league with America
With the “Artemis” program, the US space agency wants to return American astronauts, including a woman and a non-white man, to the Moon for the first time in 2025. Then a rover should come with them. Also, a post has to be made on the moon and in its orbit.
The last time an American astronaut walked on the moon was about 50 years ago. Between 1969 and 1972, the United States was the only country to bring a total of twelve astronauts to the Moon with the “Apollo” mission. Beijing wants to play in a league with the US in space. Therefore the construction of the first own space station “Tiangong” (Heaven Palace) has been proceeded with momentum. The People’s Republic has invested billions in its space program and has already achieved some success. China was the first country to land a spacecraft and exploration rover on the dark side of the Moon.
