The US- China space war has further escalated as the US space agency NASA has announced a drastic shift in policy.
In the recent move, NASA restricts Chinese nationals with valid visas to participate in space exploration programs.
NASA’s press secretary Bethany Steven issued a statement which was later confirmed by the US government agency, ““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.”
As reported by the Bloomberg, the policy move took effect from September 5 as several employees told the media outlet that they were restricted from using the IT systems and excluded from the program meetings.
The paradigm shift in policy came in the midst of growing anti-China rhetoric and escalating competition to win the space war.
Recently, both countries are vying to outcompete each other in sending their astronauts to the moon.
The US has initiated the Artemis program which aims at landing at the moon in 2027. But the program has suffered several setbacks due to budget constraints and technical issues.
On the other hand, China has initiated its efforts to land its “taikonauts” by 2030. Unlike the US, China is more successful in meeting the deadlines of the moon program.
China is also aiming to become the first-ever country to return a Martian sample from the red planet with the help of robotic mission in 2028.
“We’re in a second space race right now,” Nasa’s acting administrator, Sean Duffy, said at a news conference. “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.”