NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration Director General Nelson, who is visiting Japan, responded to an NHK interview about China, which is advancing space development, saying, "They are very secretive and need more dialogue and cooperation, but at the moment they are not. I don't want it," he said, recognizing the need for transparency of information on the Chinese side.

NASA Director Bill Nelson has served as a senator for many years, including in the Southern Florida Senate, and was appointed as Director in May of the year before last.



In 1986, as an incumbent member of the House of Representatives, he boarded the Space Shuttle and was involved in experiments in space.



Secretary Nelson, who is visiting Japan, responded to an NHK interview in Tokyo on the 6th.



NASA is aiming for the first moon landing by astronauts since the Apollo program in the international lunar exploration program "Artemis Project" in which Japan and Europe also participate. "It's a great place to explore. We'll go back to the moon, explore life there, and prepare for humans to go to Mars."



"Japan is an important friendly country and strategic partner for the United States," he said, emphasizing the importance of Japan-U.S. cooperation in space exploration and research.



In particular, regarding the research and development of a lunar rover that astronauts ride on, which Japan is promoting, he said, "If astronauts can take off their spacesuits and move around inside the rover, , has a great meaning,” he expressed his expectations.



In addition, while evaluating the current state of China's space development, "We have achieved various things in the last 10 years," he said, "Considering the way China has been doing so far, I think that they will go to the South Pole of the Moon and take over their own territory. He expressed a sense of crisis and emphasized that dialogue with China is essential.



Furthermore, two years ago, he cited the issue of the possibility that the wreckage of a large rocket launched by China to build its own space station could fall to the surface of the earth. "I have experienced many times not saying anything. We need more dialogue and cooperation, but at the moment they don't want it," he said, acknowledging the need for transparency on the Chinese side.

China's balloon shooting down "decided with reference to our advice"

Regarding the shooting down of a Chinese balloon by the US military, Nelson, the director of NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said, ``NASA has specialized knowledge about balloon research and debris recovery, so the US Department of Defense He was consulted, and as a result, the decision was made to shoot down the aircraft while referring to our advice."



Regarding this issue, Secretary Nelson said that when Secretary of State Brinken visited China, he was planning to meet with President Xi Jinping. Just before we met, did you fly a balloon over the United States?" After showing doubts, "There was such an impact that the Secretary of State's visit to China was canceled. President Biden shot down the balloon because it was an unforgivable action. was instructed," he pointed out.



"What the US does depends on China's response," he said. He also pointed out that it is necessary to continue to monitor China's response.

Expert ``Outer space is a new source of conflict between nations''

Yasuhito Fukushima, senior researcher at the National Institute for Defense Studies, who is familiar with space policy, analyzes the current state of the space development race, saying, ``The United States continues to lead the world in all areas of military, civilian, and commercial aspects.'' increase.



On the other hand, he pointed out that in recent years, China has been increasing its presence in a way that is second only to the United States. It is positioned as an important element, and our goal is to become a global space power on par with the United States."



For example, with regard to lunar exploration, he pointed out that China is aiming for manned lunar exploration, saying, "By realizing what only the United States has been able to achieve so far, China will stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States both domestically and internationally. There is an aim to give the impression that it has the technical ability to line up."



Regarding the future outlook for the US-China space race, he said, "The reality is that space activities strongly reflect international relations on Earth. Since the confrontation between the two countries continues, it is expected that this will be reflected in future space activities," he said, expressing the view that competition centered on the United States and China will continue in the field of space development.



On top of that, he said that it would be important to create and coordinate international rules related to details such as how resources should be developed in outer space, and he said, "If rules are not made, outer space, including the moon and its surroundings, will become unusable between nations." There is a risk that this will become a new source of conflict.Foreseeing that the moon and its surroundings will become a place for sustainable activities in the future, it is necessary to tenaciously advance rulemaking in a way that includes the United States and China." points out.

International rules for lunar resources have not been established

While the space development race among countries aiming for the moon is becoming more and more intense, international rules regarding lunar resources have not been established.



The Outer Space Treaty, which came into effect in 1967, was the first rule on the use of outer space. More than 110 countries, including major countries such as Japan, the United States, China, and Russia, have signed the treaty.



While the Outer Space Treaty allows all nations to freely explore outer space and clearly prohibits certain nations from claiming outer space as their own territory, there are no clear provisions regarding the development of resources in outer space.



In addition, the "Moon Agreement" adopted in 1979 stipulates that the resources of the moon are the common property of mankind and do not belong to countries, companies, or individuals. Only a dozen or so countries are included, and Japan, the United States, and major countries such as China and Russia that are advancing space development are not included.



The Artemis Consensus, compiled by the United States with a view to the Artemis Project in 2020, stipulates the principles for each country to operate in outer space, and calls for activities for peaceful purposes and ensuring transparency. In addition, it also includes how to extract and use space resources.



However, it is not legally binding.



As of February 3, 23 countries, including Japan and the United Kingdom, have signed the Artemis Consensus, but China and Russia have not signed it. It is an issue whether to proceed to

America's intentions for the moon

Currently, the "Artemis Project" is attracting a great deal of attention among the space development projects that the United States is advancing.



For the first time in about 50 years since the Apollo program, we are aiming for a manned lunar exploration.



Development is underway with the goal of having astronauts land on the moon in 2025.



On the moon, we will land near the south pole of the moon, build a base, and explore the water that is said to exist in the form of ice to see if it can be used as drinking water or fuel in the future. I plan to explore.



Beyond that, the plan is to build a new space station, Gateway, which will orbit the Moon and send astronauts to it regularly so they can stay there.



The plan also envisages a manned landing on Mars in the 2030s, based on the Moon.



On the other hand, regarding the utilization of outer space close to the earth,


▽ "SpaceX" led by entrepreneur Elon Musk,


▽ "United Launch Alliance" created by Boeing and others,


▽ IT giant Amazon's founding Private companies, such as Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, are competing.



For the United States, by leaving space development near the earth to private companies and concentrating on exploration of even more distant space such as the moon and Mars, the United States has an advantage over China, which has accumulated achievements in unmanned lunar exploration and the construction of space stations. I want to stand in



Japan and Europe are also participating in the "Artemis Project" being promoted by the United States, and while China is showing enthusiasm for manned exploration of the moon, the United States is leading the way in developing cooperative relationships with other countries. I can already tell.

What is the current state of China's development as it aims to become a "space powerhouse"?

The Chinese government has set a goal of becoming a "space powerhouse" that leads the world's space development by 2030.



The original space station completed by China last year is more than 30 meters long and has a T-shaped structure consisting of a core facility called "Tianwa" and two experimental facilities.



In the future, it will be operated for more than 10 years, and various experiments will be conducted jointly with researchers from 17 countries.



In 2019, the unmanned lunar probe "Chang'e 4" successfully landed on the far side of the moon for the first time in the world.



The far side of the moon, which cannot be seen from the earth, is said to be extremely difficult because it is impossible to communicate directly with the earth.



Furthermore, in 2020, "Chang'e 5" collected rock samples on the moon and brought them back to Earth.



Following the United States and the former Soviet Union, Japan will be the third country to collect lunar rocks.



In the future, we will bring back samples of the surface of the south pole of the moon, where it is pointed out that water may exist in the state of ice without sunlight, and we will also build a base on the moon.



In addition to showing plans to collect samples from Mars and bring them back to Earth around 2028, it also plans to conduct manned exploration of the Moon around 2030.



In addition, since three years ago, the location information system "BeiDou", which is also called "Chinese version of GPS", has been put into operation all over the world.



The Chinese government says it is used in more than half of the world's countries, including Russia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asian countries.



However, while "Hokuto" is used for autonomous driving, it has been pointed out that development has been promoted in conjunction with military applications such as missile guidance.



The Chinese government has emphasized that the use of outer space is for peaceful purposes, but the military is said to be deeply involved in the plan, and the international community has voiced concerns about the military use of outer space. increase.