NASA restricts Chinese nationals from working on its space programs
The United States space agency NASA has blocked citizens of China with valid US visas from its amenities, a move that effectively prevents them from working at one of the most prestigious space research centers.
Bloomberg News reported with sources that Chinese nationals who could only work at NASA as learners or contractors contributing to research discovered on September 5 that they had lost all access to NASA’s systems and facilities.
NASA confirmed, saying that Chinese nationals would be restricted from using the agency’s “facilities, materials and networks to ensure the security of our work.”
China’s quickened program has frightened the United States and has heightened the competition between these two biggest economies.
Chinese astronauts are currently excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) as a result of a U.S. policy that restricts NASA from sharing data with China.
Due to national security concerns, the recent restrictions further lead to a decline in scientific collaborations between the two countries.
According to Bloomberg News, it is not clear how much advance notice NASA gave to Chinese nationals working at the agency. However, they have suddenly been denied access to NASA’s data systems and restricted from participating in both in-person and virtual meetings related to their work.
The press secretary for NASA, Bethany Stevens, told reporters that NASA had indeed taken “internal action pertaining to Chinese nationals, including restricting physical and cybersecurity access to our facilities.”
The acting administrator for NASA, Sean Duffy, noted in a press conference on Wednesday, where he spoke about US discoveries on Mars, saying, “We’re in a second space race right now.”
Adding that, “The Chinese want to get back to the moon before us. That’s not going to happen.”
The competition isn’t just about reaching the Moon; it’s also about who will control its valuable resources once they arrive.
