- NASA no longer allows any Chinese citizens to contribute
- China and USA competing in a new age race
- A Chinese spy performed a espionage -campaign against US technological targets
NASA has confirmed that Chinese citizens are now prevented from accessing NASA assets and premises and is no longer allowed to participate in its programs, even if they have valid visas.
“NASA has taken internal actions regarding Chinese citizens, including limiting physical and cyber security access to our facilities, materials and networks to ensure security in our work,” said press secretary Bethany Stevens.
From September 5, some people were suddenly closed out of their IT systems and were locked out of personal meetings. Although they did not work as staff, some had previously worked as contractors or contributed to research as a student, The Guardian Reports.
Space Race
Tensions are rising between China and the United States, especially considering the discovery of a continued espionage campaign performed by a double American/Chinese citizen where sensitive data was exiltered.
NASA is working closely with the US military, and the spy was allegedly able to steal information about radiation -hardened cameras used by the United States to send early warnings to hypersonic missiles and rockets, as well as data from sensors used by aircraft to confuse infrared heat -seeking missiles.
Reports confirm that over 3,600 documents were downloaded by the spy from two electronics manufacturers. Geopolitical tensions have seen the two states compete to develop faster, more efficient and more powerful technologies in almost every industry.
Both China and the United States are currently working to send crews to the Moon, with the US Artemis program aimed at a landing of 2027 – though it has experienced delays.
“We are in another spaces right now,” said NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy on Wednesday at a news conference on discoveries made with an American rover on Mars.
“The Chinese want to return to the moon in front of us. It won’t happen. America has led in space in the past and we will continue to lead in space in the future.”
