While the United States is the only nation to plant a flag on the moon’s surface, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration fears other nations might try to claim the moon, presenting potential struggles for the future of space exploration.
Former astronaut Bill Nelson, now NASA’s top administrator, shared the concerns during an interview with Politico, in which he said that the U.S. is in a new space race with China.
“It is true that we better watch out that they don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research,” Nelson said to Politico. “And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Keep out, we’re here, this is our territory.’”
Nelson, a former U.S. Senator for Florida, said that foreign nations like China attempting to claim areas of the moon that are rich with resources is not out of the realm of possibilities.
China attempting to claim sovereignty over territory would not be a new phenomenon, as Nelson pointed out how the nation has attempted to lay claim to territory in the South China Sea that already belongs to other nations.
The warning also comes on the heels of the Artemis I mission, completed last month after several delays pushed it from its original August launch time.
The 26-day mission saw the capsule take pictures of the lunar surface, including the dark side of the moon, which has never been seen from Earth.
Upcoming missions from the Artemis program will see the return of humans on the moon, something last accomplished decades ago.
Other NASA missions on the horizon include plans around Mars and the possibility of manned-missions to the Earth’s sister planet.
Meanwhile, the Chinese space program successfully established a new space station last summer, a big step for the nation’s advancements to learn more about the last frontier.
While there has yet to be any hostility between the nation and NASA, veterans of the space agency, including the former commander of the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Terry Virts, fear what could happen.
“On one level, it is a political competition to show whose system works better,” Virts said, Politico reported. “What they really want is respect as the world’s top country. They want to be the dominant power on Earth, so going to the moon is a way to show their system is working. If they beat us back to the moon, it shows they are better than us.”
If China were to lay claim to different areas of the moon, then Virts says problems could arise for the future of space travel and exploration.
“There is potentially mischief China can do on the moon,” Virts said. “If they set up infrastructure there, they could potentially deny communications, for example. Having them there doesn’t make things easier. There is real concern about Chinese meddling.”
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