The US and China are currently competing with each other on who will land first on the moon. According to NASA's chief, he believes that their astronauts will reach the lunar surface before China in 2025 or 2026, as per a report by Nikkei Asia.
Bill Nelson, the space agency's administrator, told Nikkei that China is one of the very few countries that does not want to cooperate with NASA. He added that they have also been very secretive regarding their moon mission.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 21: Former US Senator Bill Nelson, nominee to be administrator of NASA, looks on during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill on April 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. Nelson was a senator representing Florida from 2001-2019.
Nelson Expresses Disappointment
Nelson expressed disappointment with the Chinese space program's secrecy, noting an incident from the previous year in which the majority of the globe was left in the dark as to where rocket launch debris would land.
He said that NASA was not aware if the second rocket debris would hit Saudi Arabia or Europe, but it eventually splashed into the Indian Ocean. Nelson also claimed that China did not inform them about the rocket's trajectory.
The NASA chief disagrees with this kind of move from China.
"We think that the civilian space program ought to be open and transparent. And that we ought... to help each other out if there's some emergency. China just has not been willing to be open about their space program," Nelson said in a statement with Nikkei.
NASA is set to land astronauts on the moon for the first time in 50 years. This mission was jumpstarted with Artemis 1's uncrewed Orion capsule that was launched by its advanced moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS).
Artemis 1 is also on its way back to Earth and is expected to return by Sunday, Dec. 11.
NASA has also chosen SpaceX to launch astronauts to the moon in 2025 or later. The Artemis program aims to establish a long-term human presence and explore Mars in the future.
Beat China to the Moon
Nelson told Nikkei that they could beat China to the moon. The Asian country aims to send its astronauts to the moon by 2030.
Creating a crewed outpost close to the moon's south pole is one of NASA's main objectives for the Artemis mission. A year or two later, Artemis 3 will launch and land astronauts on the lunar surface.
The project has cost more than $40 billion since it began in 2017. NASA's main goals will be to prioritize human space flight and maintain a permanent presence, thereby constructing a space station and a base camp on the moon.
Related Article: NASA Will Land On The Moon For The First Time in 50 Years l Here's Everything You Need To Know About Artemis 1
