Bill Nelson , NASA administrator , has no doubts that the US . faces a new space race.
The United States is facing a new space race, at least according to the vision of Bill Nelson , the administrator of NASA .
In an interview with Politico, Nelson spoke about China and an expansion of the Asian giant on the Moon.
“It is a fact, we are in a space race,” he said. He also warned: “It is true that we have to be vigilant and see that they ( China ) do not have a place on the Moon by passing it off as scientific exploration. It’s not far from possible for them to say ‘Stay away, we’re here, it’s our territory’.
Precedent on Earth about the expansion of China?
Bill Nelson pointed to China ‘s action in the South China Sea as a precedent for what we might see on the Moon .
“If in doubt, look at what they did on the Spartly Islands.”
China has established bases on islands in the South China Sea in an attempt to claim space over which various countries claim sovereignty.
NASA back on the Moon
Since 1972, astronauts have not set foot on the Moon . NASA ‘s Artemis program seeks to return a crew to the Moon in preparation for a more ambitious goal: reaching Mars .