China is strengthening its space capabilities, but its space programmes are actually military in nature, according to NASA chief Bill Nelson. He urged the United States to “remain vigilant” and stated that the Americans should be the first to land humans on the Moon because if China gets there first, it could declare the Earth’s satellite “its territory.”
The PRC has made “remarkable achievements” in the past 10 years, but little is known about them due to the great “secrecy” of their Chinese counterparts, Nelson believes. He further states that “We believe that in many ways their so-called peaceful space programme is military in nature. And I think we are competing.” Moreover, the rivalry between the two countries is taking place in the field of lunar exploration. In particular, Beijing has set a goal of landing Chinese astronauts on the Earth’s satellite by 2030. However, the U.S. should be ahead of them, according to the head of NASA. The American lunar programme, known as Artemis, involves the landing of astronauts at the South Pole as part of the expedition Artemis III. The timing of this programme is constantly shifting to the right. In January, Nelson stated that NASA had decided to move the mission from late 2025 to early 2026 to September 2026. He further noted that the agency was tasked with being the first to arrive and undertaking research efforts for peaceful purposes.
In his view, his Chinese counterparts are allegedly taking a different approach. Nelson expressed concern that if the United States were to be overtaken by China in reaching the Moon, the latter might suddenly claim the celestial body as its own territory and demand that the former refrain from further exploration. He did not elaborate on the basis for this concern, although he did cite an example from another context. He recalled that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is engaged in a dispute with other claimants over the territoriality of the Nansha archipelago (Spratlys) in the South China Sea. It is notable that the head of NASA did not elucidate the connection between the hydrocarbon reserves on the islands and the Moon. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the aforementioned statements were made during a hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. The primary focus of this event was the budget of the American agency for 2025. Nelson has repeatedly stated that he will seek the allocation of as much money as possible for the “return of man to the moon” and to achieve the “red sands of Mars”. For the current year, NASA’s budget has been cut by 8.5 per cent, and planetary exploration has fallen under the cut. Therefore, it is possible that the US accusations against China about the alleged militarisation of space are just another excuse to squeeze out funding.
