--- title: "China Releases CGI Video of Moon Base and It Contains Something Very Strange" description: "China has shown off a CGI video of its vision of an international lunar base, which features a NASA Space Shuttle for some reason." date: "2024-05-01" modified: "2024-05-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-video-moon-base-space-shuttle" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "lunar base" - "NASA" - "space shuttle" - "the digest" --- # China Releases CGI Video of Moon Base and It Contains Something Very Strange ![China has shown off a CGI video of its vision of an international lunar base, which features a NASA Space Shuttle for some reason.]() *\Image: CGTN\* ## Bill Blurr The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has shown off a [CGI video]() of its vision of a lunar base, a vastly ambitious plan the country is hoping to realize in a matter of decades. The showy — albeit dated-looking — render shows plans for the International Lunar Research Station, a Chinese and Russian endeavor that was [first announced in 2021](). The video is also raising eyebrows for a bizarre cameo: a NASA Space Shuttle taking off from a launch pad in the distance, as [spotted by *Space.com*](). It's either some next-level humor from the Chinese space program or a hilarious oversight, since the Shuttle has been retired for more than a decade — not to mention that China and NASA [aren't even allowed to talk to each other](), nevermind collaborate. As space reporter Jack Kuhr later spotted, the state-run China Global Television Network came up with an equally hilarious fix to hide the Shuttle taking off in the background. "Boom problem solved," Kuhr [tweeted](). "CGTN went ahead and slapped an ol' reliable blur bar over the Shuttle." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laYHCDgRsMA ## Challenging Endeavor NASA retired its workhorse spacecraft in 2011, relying on Russia's Soyuz capsules to staff the International Space Station [until the advent of SpaceX's Crew Dragon](). Over decades, the Space Shuttle has become an iconic symbol of space exploration — and likely the most accessible 3D asset of a launching spacecraft to include in a render of a Moon base. NASA's fleet of Shuttles [flew a total of 135 missions]() between 1981 and 2011. It's an especially ironic inclusion given growing US-China tensions. Just last month, NASA's administrator Bill Nelson took aim at China, [accusing its space program]() of hiding military experiments in Earth's orbit. But apart from bungling promotional videos, China's space agency has made major headwinds in its efforts to explore space, from successfully [landing a spacecraft]() on the far side of the Moon to [building out an entire space station]() in a matter of just two years. The country's space agency is currently developing novel ways to construct lunar habitats [using bricks made of lunar soil]() and is pondering whether to set up shop [inside ancient lunar lava tubes](). In short, its marketing department may not exactly operate at the cutting edge, but if there's one country that has proven that it can lead the charge in establishing a permanent presence on the lunar surface, it's China. **More on China's Moon base:** *[China Announces Plans to Build Moon Base Using Lunar Soil]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()