The NASA administrator expressed his outrage that China was strengthening its military presence in space, which only strengthened the confrontation between the United States and China. During a speech on Capitol Hill, Administrator Bill Nelson expressed the opinion that a significant part of China’s civilian space program was, in fact, masked as military objectives. He also noted that such a situation forced the United States to be vigilant and keep the lead in the race for space achievements.
These comments were made during a hearing in the House Appropriations Committee, where Nelson requested funding for NASA in the amount of $25.384 billion for 2025.
Despite the severity of his statements, Nelson did not provide concrete evidence to support his words. During his term in office, he made similar allegations against China several times, warning of a potential threat from China. In one of his speeches in 2022, Nelson accused China of stealing American spacecraft designs. This provoked a sharp reaction from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which considered such accusations baseless and provocative.
Although the tension between Nelson and his Chinese colleagues in the space race has become obvious, the aggressive tone mainly comes from the American side.
At the end of 2023, Nelson again stated that China planned to appropriate lunar resources, while violating international agreements on space. His statement again caused outrage, especially in the context of applying for additional funding for NASA.
Repeated and harsh statements by the NASA administrator make us think: Who is really leading the space race — China or the United States?
Earlier, we reported on how the United States faced a new era of threats beyond the Earth.
According to theguardian.com
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