--- title: "China Furious After NASA Accuses It of Stealing the Moon" description: "NASA Chief Bill Nelson had some choice words to say about China's upcoming Moon missions, alleging that the nation intends to take the Moon for itself." date: "2022-07-05" modified: "2022-07-05" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-furious-nasa-moon" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "moon" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # China Furious After NASA Accuses It of Stealing the Moon ![NASA Chief Bill Nelson had some choice words to say about China's upcoming Moon missions, alleging that the nation intends to take the Moon for itself.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Space Dibs Tell us how you really feel, Bill! In [an interview with]() German newspaper *Bild*, NASA boss Bill Nelson had some *choice* words to say about China's upcoming space exploration ventures — alleging, among other things, that the rival nation intends to pretty much steal the Moon for itself. "We must be very concerned that China is landing on the moon and saying: 'It's ours now and you stay out'," he told the paper, which published his remarks on Saturday. The NASA Administrator additionally accused China of plans to destroy orbital satellites, and [even claimed]() that it's stolen technology from other countries (which, to be fair, [isn't a new accusation]()). China, as one might imagine, did not take the comments lightly. "The US side has constantly constructed a smear campaign against China's normal and reasonable outer space endeavors, and China firmly opposes such irresponsible remarks," said Zhao Lijian, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, [during a Monday press conference](). ## Moon Wars Much international attention is fixed on the Moon right now. NASA and the [Russia-backed China]() both have [ambitious lunar missions]() underway, while speculation about economically feasible [Moon mining]() abounds. The US' enormously expensive Artemis missions, however, have already experienced their fair share of [chaos-induced delays](), which could very much result in Chinese astronauts beating America's to Earth's OG Satellite — a reality that NASA, or at least its top official, must not be too excited about. China and Russia have also abstained from signing the [Artemis Accords](), a US-led initiative that offers a vision of shared principles to loosely govern the many countries looking to stake new claims in the cosmos. And [according to *Bloomberg*](), China and Russia are looking to build an interplanetary alliance that rivals the America-led effort. "In contrast with the US lunar exploration project known as the 'Artemis Accords,' which experts believe reveals its 'exclusive nature for mimicking a space-based NATO,'" read a July 3rd opinion piece, [penned in the Chinese government-backed publication *Global Times*](). "China and Russia’s partnership stresses bringing advancement for all, with the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind." **READ MORE:** *[China lambasts NASA claim it may take over the moon]()* \[*Al Jazeera*\] **More on Moon tings:** [*There's a Nasa Satellite Headed Toward the Moon Right Now*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()