--- title: "Head of NASA Accuses China of Being “Good at Stealing”" description: "No Hot Mic In a candid moment during an otherwise cursory Congressional budget hearing, the administrator of NASA said very plainly how he feels about the way China “steals” spacecraft designs from the American public and private sectors. During the House Appropriations Committee hearing, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) asked NASA Administrator Bill Nelson what the […]" date: "2022-05-17" modified: "2022-05-17" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-china-stealing" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "bill nelson" - "china" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # Head of NASA Accuses China of Being “Good at Stealing” ![In a candid moment, the administrator of NASA said very plainly how he feels about the way China "steals" spacecraft designs from the US.]() *\Image: Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images\* ## Grade NAS-A Beef In a candid moment during an otherwise dull Congressional budget hearing, the administrator of NASA said very plainly how he feels about the way China "steals" spacecraft designs from the American public and private sectors. During the [House Appropriations Committee hearing](), Alabama representative Robert Aderholt asked NASA boss Bill Nelson what the agency is "doing to secure American research and development" given, as he said, the "jarring similarities" between Chinese space vehicle designs and American ones. Nelson appeared to laugh, in a response [flagged by space reporter Marcia Smith](), and said that Aderholt spoke much more "delicately" and "eloquently" than he felt he could about the situation. "Yeah, they're pretty good at stealing," the NASA administrator said, "and I think that's incumbent upon us to take cybersecurity very, very seriously." ## Space Play Nelson added that during his time in the Senate, he'd been "shouting this message to the rooftops not only with regard to the government but private sector as well," and that "the private sector is finally getting the message." In the same exchange, the NASA head acknowledged that the [US and China are in a "space race"]() that bears similarities to the one between the US and the USSR. Later in the hearing, Nelson insisted that the agency's Artemis lunar mission was going to launch around August of this year. That was another surprising admission, because [NASA has previously said]() it wasn't going to put a date on the launch until after its "wet dress rehearsal" later this summer. All told, it seems Nelson was full of surprises during this otherwise dry Tuesday morning hearing. Who says space is boring? **More on the US-China space race:** *[US Intel Chief: Chinese Space Station is a Threat to National Security]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()