China's space advancement and its push for space superiority worried Pam Melroy, the current nominee to be National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) deputy administrator.

The concerns come as Melroy, a former NASA astronaut, attended a Senate hearing on Thursday that tackled her nomination for the role and the recent space activities China had commenced.

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Concerns Raised by NASA Deputy Administrator Nominee

Although there were concerns about China's space activities, former NASA Astronaut Pam Melroy praised China space advancement, Space.Com reported.

Pam Melroy labeled the recent Mars landing of China's Zhurong rover, as well as a couple of landings on the moon, and the new construction of a low Earth orbit space station as very impressive.

"China has made their goals very clear - to take away space superiority in the United States," said Melroy. But she added that the issue makes them right to be concerned, taking into account the concerns of intellectual party theft and the country's aggressive behavior in space.

Apart from the activities, Pam Melroy has also expressed concerns about the May 8 incident where the 23-ton core stage of a Chinese Long March 5B rocket fell uncontrollably to Earth. 

A similar incident happened last year in the West African nation of Ivory Coast. Both incidents were reported to have no casualties, but the 2020 incident caused property damage.

"Spacefaring nations must minimize the risks to people and property on Earth," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on the May 8 incident. Nelson also underscored that China has failed to meet the responsible standards regarding their space debris. 

Pam Melroy noted that China needs to be called out for their violation, stating the orbital debris standard mitigation practices that were "proliferated around the world."

Melroy noted that she remains in support of the Wolf Amendment, which forbids NASA from engaging in activities with China without the support of Congress.

"It's there to think that the U.S. thinks very carefully about any kind of engagement with China," said Melroy, highlighting that NASA will continue to follow the law. 

Despite her stand, the former NASA astronaut noted that there would be a time that the United States will talk to China because they have to operate together in the space domain.

Politico reported that recently, the Senate voted 86-11 in favor of the Endless Frontier Act, where a part of the larger bill will address China's economic and geopolitical work.

Space Activities as Part of China Space Advancement

Recently, China released photos of Mars taken by the rover Zhurong. The said rover touched down the red planet on early Sunday morning Beijing time. 

With this China space advancement, BBC reported that Chinese scientists also hoped to get at least 90 Martian days of service out of the six-wheeled robot in Utopia Planitia, vast terrain in the red planet's northern hemisphere.

As part of China's space advancement, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) also has plans to deploy three large landers on the moon's south pole. Reports also surfaced about China's plan to send astronauts on flyby missions also on the moon.

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WATCH: China's Zhurong vs. NASA's Perseverance: Rover Tech in Mars Space Race - From Wall Street Journal