--- title: "Awkward! The US and China Are Looking at the Same Moon Landing Sites" description: "The US and China are gearing up for an awkward confrontation if both decide to land their respective lunar rockets on similar spots at the Moon." date: "2022-09-04" modified: "2022-09-04" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-china-moon-landing-sites" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "NASA" - "the digest" - "the moon" --- # Awkward! The US and China Are Looking at the Same Moon Landing Sites ![The US and China are gearing up for an awkward confrontation if both decide to land their respective lunar rockets on similar spots at the Moon.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Cringeworthy The US and China are gearing up for an awkward confrontation if both decide to land their respective lunar rockets on similar spots near the Moon's south pole — which, as current plans indicate, may well happen. As [*SpaceNews* notes](), NASA and China's space agency have identified multiple similar landing sites for their respective lunar missions — Artemis 3, NASA's first crewed mission to the lunar surface, and China's Chang'e-7 lunar rover mission — including the Shackleton, Haworth, and Nobile craters located near the lunar south pole. Both agencies may have chosen these spots, because of their high elevations, good lighting conditions, and proximity to shadowed craters which may be able to [trap lunar water-ice](), according to *SpaceNews*. It remains unclear how the US and China plan to handle a potential landing site overlap for their lunar missions — which are slated to launch in 2025 and 2024, respectively. It's a brand new conundrum that is the direct result of more and more countries planning to visit the Moon. ## Wolfed As *SpaceNews* points out, the US is hamstrung when it comes to space negotiations with China by an appropriations bill add-in known as the "[Wolf Amendment,]()" a 2011 clause introduced by then-representative Frank Wolf (R-VA) that severely limits NASA's ability to work with China in any capacity. Although both former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump tried to engage in space talks with China, those talks didn't really go anywhere. The Biden administration also does not currently have any public plans to re-engage the dialogues, the report notes. While the two countries' choices for lunar landing sites aren't exactly surprising, they could present a historic first. "It is not hard to see why they both want the same spots," space and law policy professor Christopher Newman told *SpaceNews*. "It is prime lunar real estate for in-situ resource utilization." "This could be the first potential point of conflict over resources beyond Earth," he added. Newman also argued that because both parties signed the [Outer Space Treaty](), they should, in theory, "accept the use of celestial bodies for peaceful purposes." "It will be interesting to see what happens," Newman told *SpaceNews*, adding that "a lot will depend on who gets there first." **READ MORE:** [NASA and China are eyeing the same landing sites near the lunar south pole]() \[*SpaceNews*\] **More on US-China space relations:** [*China Slams NASA Leadership After Its Moon Launch Failure*]() ## 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]()