China on Monday dismissed a NASA chief’s warning that China could seize control of the moon as part of a military program as irresponsible slander, saying it has always called for building a community of nations in space.
China has accelerated the pace of its space program over the past decade, focusing on the exploration of the Moon. China made its first unmanned moon landing in 2013 and hopes to launch rockets powerful enough to send astronauts to the moon by the end of this decade.
“We need to be very worried about China landing on the moon and saying, ‘Now we and you don’t have it,'” NASA administrator Bill Nelson told German newspaper Bild in an interview published Saturday.
The head of the US space agency claimed that China’s space program was military and that China was stealing ideas and technology from others.
“This is not the first time that the head of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration has ignored the facts and talked irresponsibly about China,” said Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
“The US side is conducting a continuous smear campaign against China’s normal and reasonable efforts in space, and China categorically opposes such irresponsible statements.”
China has always supported building a common future for humanity in space and opposed its weapons and any arms race in space, he said.
As part of the Artemis program, NASA plans to send a manned mission to the Moon’s orbit in 2024 and make a manned landing on the Moon’s south pole by 2025.
source: Noticias
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