Key facts
- Former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warns China aims for lunar dominance.
- Nelson's assessment is detailed in his forthcoming memoir, 'Space Odyssey'.
- He states China's strategy is to "dominate the high ground of the twenty-first century."
- Nelson believes the competition for the Moon is a race for space supremacy, not just exploration.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman highlighted urgency due to limited lunar landing sites.
- Isaacman noted China's partnership with Russia to place a nuclear reactor on the Moon.
Former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has voiced strong concerns about China's lunar ambitions, asserting in his forthcoming memoir that Beijing's ultimate goal is to achieve dominance in space.
In 'Space Odyssey,' slated for publication in January 2027, Nelson, who served as NASA Administrator from May 2021 to January 2025, describes China's strategy as an effort to "dominate the high ground of the twenty-first century." He argues that the current competition for the Moon, where both the US and China aim to land humans and establish long-term settlements, is a critical race for space supremacy rather than mere exploration.
Nelson recounted NASA's assistance to the US military in early 2023 concerning a Chinese spy balloon, viewing the incident as a warning of a new rivalry fought in space. He has long been wary of China's space program, citing its militarized and secretive nature and supporting the Wolf Amendment that restricts NASA-China cooperation due to a lack of transparency and trust.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman echoed the urgency of the lunar race, noting that limited resources at the Moon's South Pole create an imperative to act quickly. He also highlighted that China's partnership with Russia to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon could potentially hinder American space ambitions. NASA is currently targeting a 2028 launch for its Artemis IV mission to return humans to the lunar surface.