NASA Bars Chinese Citizens From Space Programs Amid Rising U.S.-China Rivalry

NASA has started blocking Chinese nationals — even those with valid U.S. visas — from participating in its programs, a move highlighting the intensifying space competition between Washington and Beijing.

The change was first reported by Bloomberg News and later confirmed by the U.S. space 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,” NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens told AFP on Wednesday.

According to Bloomberg, Chinese citizens had previously been able to contribute to NASA research as contractors or students, though not as permanent staff. But on September 5, several individuals said they were abruptly locked out of IT systems and excluded from in-person meetings. They spoke on condition of anonymity.

The move comes against a backdrop of escalating U.S.–China tensions, particularly under President Donald Trump’s administration, as the two nations race to return astronauts to the Moon.

The U.S. Artemis program — billed as the successor to the Apollo missions of 1969–1972 — aims for a crewed lunar landing in 2027, though it has faced delays and cost overruns. China, meanwhile, has set a 2030 deadline for landing its “taikonauts” and has so far kept closer to its timetable.

“We’re in a second space race right now,” NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy told reporters Wednesday during a Mars rover briefing. “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.”

China is also pursuing a high-profile Martian mission — aiming to be the first country to return samples from the Red Planet, with a launch planned for 2028 and a sample return targeted for 2031.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has signaled in its latest budget proposal that it wants to cancel the planned Mars Sample Return project, a joint effort with the European Space Agency. Officials have suggested that a crewed mission could take on the task instead, though no concrete details have been announced.