The Nasa logo is seen at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., April 16, 2021. — Reuters

Chinese nationals from participating in NASA programmes

The Nasa logo is seen at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., April 16, 2021. — ReutersNasa has started blocking Chinese nationals with valid visas from participating in its programmes, highlighting the escalating space race between the two rival powers.The change in...

NASA has begun restricting Chinese nationals with valid visas from taking part in its programs, a move that underscores the intensifying space rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

The policy shift, first reported by Bloomberg News and later confirmed by the U.S. space agency, involves new limitations on access. “NASA has taken internal action pertaining to Chinese nationals, including restricting physical and cybersecurity access to our facilities, materials, and network to ensure the security of our work,” press secretary Bethany Stevens told AFP on Wednesday.

Until now, Chinese nationals had been allowed to participate as contractors or students involved in research, though not as full-time employees. But on September 5, several individuals reported being abruptly locked out of IT systems and barred from in-person meetings, according to Bloomberg. They spoke anonymously, citing the sensitivity of the matter.

The restrictions come against a backdrop of growing anti-China rhetoric under President Donald Trump’s administration. Both nations are racing to put astronauts back on the Moon. The United States is pushing forward with its Artemis program, intended as a successor to the Apollo missions of 1969–1972, and is currently targeting a 2027 crewed landing. However, the project has been plagued by delays and budget overruns.

China, meanwhile, is aiming to land its taikonauts by 2030 and has so far proven more consistent in meeting its spaceflight milestones. “We’re in a second space race right now,” acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy told reporters Wednesday during a press briefing on recent Mars rover discoveries. “The Chinese want to get back to the Moon before us. That’s not going to happen. America has led in space in the past, and we are going to continue to lead in space in the future.”

Beijing’s ambitions extend beyond the Moon. China plans to launch a robotic mission in 2028 that could return samples from Mars by 2031, potentially making it the first country to bring material back from the Red Planet.

The Trump administration, by contrast, has proposed scrapping NASA’s joint Mars Sample Return mission with the European Space Agency. Officials have hinted the task might instead be accomplished through a future crewed mission, though no concrete plans have yet been presented.