The director general of NASA alerted American parliamentarians to China’s very significant progress in the space field. He also pointed out that some civilian programs are not really civilian programs.
Some Chinese civilian programs in space are civilian in name only. This, in short, is the accusation made by the administrator general of NASA, Bill Nelson, during a hearing before American parliamentarians at the end of last week. A meeting which initially focused on the budget of the American space agency for 2025.
“ We believe that much of their so-called civilian space program is a military program », Launched Bill Nelson to members of the House of Representatives, quoted by the Guardian. Consequently, he added, the United States must be vigilant and not relax its guard or its efforts in space matters.
China ” is very, very secret »
Bill Nelson did not particularly detail which of China’s space missions may have a hidden military objective. “ She is very, very secretive “, he noted. Above all, its rise to power is really rapid — Bill Nelson even spoke of “ extraordinary progress », especially in the last ten years.
The deployment of a large Chinese space station in the early 2020s is the most notable demonstration. Its increasingly complex missions to the Moon are also strong indicators. Beijing was able to place a rover on the far side of the satellite. The country also took lunar samples, which it brought back to Earth.
Among the Chinese activities which arouse the concern of NASA, and also that of the Pentagon and the White House, is probably this secret mission launched in December 2023. According to the press release, it is a “ reusable test spacecraft » which will remain in orbit around the Earth « some time », before returning to China.
This Chinese vehicle, which left at the same time as a similar mission from the United States, is actually on its third try. There had already been one in September 2020 and another in August 2022. There is no doubt that Washington and Beijing are following each other’s vehicles around the Earth, like the other major space powers.
Already in March, a brigadier general of the Space Force — the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for carrying out military activities in space — outlined a scenario in which China could use the Moon for military purposes, more or less long term. The nature of this military use is unclear at this stage.
For Bill Nelson, it is desirable that China “ come to your senses and understand that civil space is intended for peaceful uses “, but, according to him, Beijing has not demonstrated this. In terms of timetable, China is aiming for a crew landing on the moon from 2030, on a date that remains to be specified. For the USA, the schedule is 2026.
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