NASA bans Chinese citizens from participating in space programs

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has begun banning Chinese citizens with valid visas from participating in its programs.

NASA logo at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA - Photo: REUTERS

AFP news agency commented that the above policy change further shows the increasingly fierce space race between the US and China.

"NASA has taken internal action regarding Chinese nationals, including restricting physical and cybersecurity access to our facilities, materials, and networks to ensure the security of our work," NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens told AFP on September 10.

Previously, Chinese citizens were allowed to work as contractors or students contributing to research, although not as full-time employees, according to Bloomberg News.

However, on September 5, several anonymous individuals shared that they were suddenly denied access to information technology systems and were banned from participating in in-person meetings.

The US and China are competing to send astronauts to the Moon.

The US Artemis programme - a follow-up to the Apollo Moon landings from 1969 to 1972 - aims to return to the Moon by 2027, but has suffered cost overruns and delays.

Meanwhile, China aims to land its astronauts on the Moon by 2030 and has recently been more successful in meeting its timelines.

"We are in the second space race right now," acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy told reporters on September 10.

"The Chinese want to go back to the moon before us. That's not going to happen. America has led in space in the past, and we will continue to lead in the future," he declared.

China is also seeking to become the first country to return samples from the surface of Mars to Earth, with a robotic mission scheduled to launch in 2028 and bring back Martian soil and rock as early as 2031.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nasa-cam-cong-dan-trung-quoc-tham-gia-cac-chuong-trinh-khong-gian-20250911071337273.htm