‘We’re in a space race’: Nasa sounds alarm at Chinese designs on moon

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-13 manned space mission is seen after landing in northern China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region in April 2022. Photograph: Peng Yuan/AP

The US is locked in a space race with China and the country needs to “watch out” that its rival does not gain a foothold and try to dominate lunar resources, Nasa’s top official has warned.

The assessment came from the Nasa administrator, Bill Nelson, a former astronaut and Florida senator, who went on to warn that China could eventually claim to “own” the moon’s resource-rich areas.