NASA has banned Chinese citizens with valid US visas from working on space programs at its facilities.
NASA said Chinese citizens would be prohibited from using “its facilities, materials, and networks to ensure the safety of our work” after Chinese employees involved in the research were denied access to their IT systems and the ability to attend in-person meetings on September 5.
NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens confirmed that NASA has taken “internal measures against Chinese nationals, including restricting physical and cybersecurity access to our facilities.”
NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy said the United States and China are currently engaged in a “second space race.”
“The Chinese want to get back to the Moon before us. That won't happen,” he said.
“We are now in a second space race,” said NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy.
Last week, during a Senate hearing, lawmakers emphasized the need for the United States to land on the moon before China.
“China is making no secret of its goals,” said Republican Senator Ted Cruz. “If our adversaries achieve dominance in space, it will pose a grave risk to America, and the stakes are higher than ever.”
By 2027, the United States plans to land astronauts on the Moon as part of its Artemis program.
China has said it intends to send a man to the moon by 2030.
In recent weeks, both countries have proposed a mission to establish a nuclear power plant on the Moon by mid-2030.
“The first country to do so could potentially declare a 'no-go' zone, which would significantly impede the United States from establishing the planned Artemis presence unless they do so first,” Duffy said.
“We'll get to the Moon under President Trump. Our mission is Artemis. We'll win the second space race. China wants to overtake us, but we won't let them.”
Sourse: www.upi.com
