China Could Beat NASA in Moon Race but US Agency Warns Some of Its Civilian Space Missions Could Be Military Programs

China Could Beat NASA in Moon Race But US Agency Warns Some of Its Civilian Space Missions Could Be Military Programs
(Photo : Wikimedia Commons/NASA)

NASA is in a tight race against China in its space missions. However, the former said the latter was very secretive when it came to their process.

NASA Administrator Speaks About Space Race Against China

USA's NASA and China's CNSA are preparing for their moon missions. However, the U.S. space agency warned that China could be preparing to take over the Moon in the coming years, using its civilian space program, which could actually be a facade for a military program.

NASA is eyeing to send humans to the Moon in 2026. China aims to achieve the same feat in 2030. However, Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, was convinced that China could possibly beat them.

"China has made extraordinary strides, especially in the last 10 years, but they are very, very secretive," Nelson said during the 2024 budget hearing. "We believe that a lot of their, so-called civilian space programs is a military program. And I think, in effect, we are in a race."

Nelson noted that even if China's earliest date to arrive at the natural satellite is in 2030, they keep pushing the date forward. He also acknowledged the fact that China has excellent engineering and science. In fact, the Asian country now has a space station up there, which is proof of the huge progress they are making in their race to the Moon.

Nelson provided the arguments in favor of NASA's request for a $25.4 billion budget for 2025 to a committee this week. According to him, the US needs to step up its efforts and expenditures to send humans to space because the nation intends to build a landing base on the Moon's surface within the next five years.

He added that the strong links between the Chinese space programs and the People's Liberation Army, a Communist Party military wing, are a major source of his concern.

"My concern would be if China got there first and suddenly said: 'Okay, this is our territory, you stay out,'" Nelson added.

Also, China has made significant investments in low-Earth orbit and deep space research, and that "funding is critical to making sure the United States remains the international leader in space," according to the NASA administrator.

While the US remains the only country to have placed boots on the lunar surface, Nelson likened the race between China and the Soviet Union in 1958 as both nations sought to be the first to land a man on the Moon.

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lol China Announces Name of Spacecraft For Its Moon Mission

China's human spaceflight program has assigned names to the spacecraft it is preparing to land men on the Moon. The lunar lander is named Lanyue, and the spacecraft that will take humans beyond low Earth orbit is named Mengzhou.

Lanyue, which translates as "Embracing the Moon," is a reference to the Tang period poet Li Bai. A press statement issued by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) states that Mao Zedong's poem contains the chosen name. In contrast, Mengzhou means "Dream Vessel" and is in keeping with the naming scheme for China's Shenzhou and Tanzhou spacecraft, which are now utilized to deliver supplies and crew members to the Tiangong space station in low Earth orbit (LEO).

CNSA sponsored an open competition to help name the spacecraft in August 2023. The group received 2,000 entries from companies and people in all walks of life. The final names were decided by a panel of specialists.