NASA chief says China could claim the moon as its own territory if it beats the US to the lunar surface

The head of NASA has said that China could claim the moon as its own territory if beats the US in the race to the lunar surface. In an interview with Politico, published Sunday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Chinese military expansion in the South China Sea was an indicator of what might happen on the moon. NASA completed its Artemis 1 mission in November, which involved flying an unmanned Orion spacecraft around the Moon. China recently completed its new space station, Tiangong, and in November, launched a crew of taikonauts towards the station. Beijing plans to launch three missions to the moon over the next decade as part of its Chang'e lunar program, after saying it had discovered a new lunar mineral that could be used as an energy source. Nelson told Politico that China has enjoyed "Enormous success and advances" in its space program over the last decade. NASA is working with Elon Musk's SpaceX on the Artemis 3 mission.