April 18, 2019 (AFP) – NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on Wednesday that China is using civilian programs to expand its space capabilities and hide its military objectives. He pointed out the need for continued vigilance.

Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee about NASA’s fiscal year 2025 budget, Nelson said, “China has made tremendous progress, especially in the last decade, but it is extremely secretive.” “Many of China’s so-called private space programs… “We think it’s a military program. And in effect, I think we’re in a race.”

He added that he hopes China “comes to its senses and understands that civil space exploration is for peaceful purposes,” but added: “I have never seen China exhibit such an attitude.” Ta.

He also emphasized that the United States should re-land on the moon before China. He expressed concern that if China were to arrive first, it could claim, “This is our territory, don’t trespass.”

The United States aims to land a man on the moon in 2026 with Artemis 3, the third part of the Artemis mission, which aims to return humans to the moon for the first time since 1972. Meanwhile, China aims to land a man on the moon by 2030.

Nelson said he was confident the U.S. would not lose its “global advantage” in space exploration, but added: “But we have to be realistic. China is spending a huge amount of money on space, and the budget is There is still considerable room to increase this, so we should not let our guard down.” (c)AFP