The US aerospace administration has confirmed that it will no longer provide access to its projects, either physical or digital, even to Chinese citizens who are legally residing in the United States. The reason for this is the new space race that is currently underway.
NASA is not for the Chinese
NASA has blocked Chinese citizens from participating in its projects. This includes even those who are legally residing in the United States and have been involved in space research for many years. The Chinese themselves began reporting this on September 5, and now Bloomberg News has confirmed it, citing agency officials.
In particular, NASA spokesperson Bethany Stephens confirmed the ban. According to her, this is not a mistake, but a change in the organization’s policy. Chinese citizens are denied access not only in electronic form, but also in physical form. There is simply no way for them to obtain any non-public reports, even if they have previously participated in research.
The same was confirmed by NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy. According to him, the US and China are now at the center of a new lunar race, and the agency is doing everything it can to prevent the Chinese from winning.
Space race
In general, NASA’s policy change is taking place against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s harsh anti-Chinese rhetoric. So it is clear what the root cause of these actions is. Although, on the other hand, the lunar race between the two countries is a very real thing.
The US plans to land people on the moon in 2027, and China plans to do so by 2030. However, NASA’s plans may well be revised to later dates for entirely objective reasons. And they may indeed fail, which Trump does not want. On the other hand, his attitude toward the space program can hardly be called friendly.
Plans to explore Mars, including returning samples from its surface, are also at the center of the discussion. China plans to be the first here, too, and carry out the mission before 2031. NASA and the White House leadership do not want to lose their lead in this. But the paradox is that the Trump administration seems to want to cancel its own mission to return samples altogether.
Provided by phys.org
