Recently, NASA has issued a warning that China may be preparing for a campaign to control the Moon in the coming years.
Bill Nelson, NASA’s Administrator, emphasized that China has demonstrated extraordinary progress over the past decade, not only in science but also in its ambitions for lunar dominance.
China plans to send humans to the Moon by 2030 and aims to establish a presence on the Moon within the next five years. (Image: CAS).
The NASA Administrator even warned of the possibility that China could beat the U.S. in the race to return humans to the Moon, which NASA plans to implement in 2026.
According to Nelson, China will likely attempt to control a large portion of the Moon’s territory and use it for its own purposes. The country has repeatedly revealed plans to establish a lunar landing base within the next five years.
“China has a strong scientific and technical foundation, and now they are aiming to have a space station on the Moon,” Bill Nelson reminded.
Artist’s concept of a Chinese lunar landing. (Image: DA).
The NASA Administrator stated that they need additional budget funding from the government to enhance efforts and practical missions to send astronauts into space.
He affirmed that the missions conducted by NASA will focus solely on scientific purposes, such as predicting floods, droughts, wildfires… by informing nations to prevent and respond in a timely manner.
“China has invested heavily in both deep space exploration and low Earth orbit,” he said. “Funding is crucial to ensure that the U.S. remains the world leader in space.”
Bill Nelson compared the current situation to the race between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union in 1958. At that time, both superpowers were competing to send the first person to the Moon, but to date, the U.S. remains the only country to have left footprints on the lunar surface.
