"It is a fact: we're in a space race," Bill Nelson said in an interview. "The race to the moon between the United States and China is getting tighter and the next two years could determine who gains the upper hand."

"And it is true that we better watch out that they don't get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research.  And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, 'Keep out, we're here, this is our territory.'"

图源：NASA

Any significant delays or mishaps in the US program, which is counting on a series of new systems and equipment that are still under development, could risk falling behind the Chinese. And NASA's moon-landing timeline has already slipped a year from the Trump administration.

Congress this week approved $24.5 billion for NASA in fiscal 2023, about half a billion dollars less than what President Joe Biden requested.

But he said the space agency is under intense pressure because it has been forced, as a cost-saving measure, to reuse all the avionics inside the Artemis I capsule for Artemis II.

▌外交部：美官员污蔑中国正常合理外空事业 中方坚决反对

对于这些美方炒作中国航天威胁的论调，中方早已做过驳斥。

中国外交部发言人赵立坚2022年7月4日表示，美国国家航空航天局局长已经不是第一次罔顾事实、信口开河“喷”中国了。美方一些官员不断构陷污蔑中国正常合理的外空事业。中方坚决反对此种不负责任的言论。

This is not the first time that the NASA administrator has lashed out at China in disregard of facts. Some US officials have spoken irresponsibly to misrepresent the normal and legitimate space endeavors of China. China firmly rejects such remarks. 

中国驻华盛顿大使馆发言人刘鹏宇也在一份声明中说，“一些美国官员不负责任地发表言论，歪曲中国正常合法的太空努力。中方坚决反对这种言论”。

编辑：史雪凡

实习生：张婉诗

来源：环球时报 Politico

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