NASA has completely excluded Chinese nationals from all facilities and networks – even if they have a valid visa. The drastic measure takes place after several spy cases and the increasing tensions with China.
Total exclusion since September
The US room trip authority NASA has imposed an unprecedented security measure: since September 5, 2025, Chinese nationals have not been allowed to access NASA institutions or networks. The ban also applies to people with valid US visa and includes all forms of participation – from laboratory visits to video conferences. Hundreds of researchers, doctoral students and contractual partners are affected by the measure that previously contributed to NASA research as scientists or students.
The drastic decision follows a series of serious security violations. In July, Chenguang Gong, a Chinese-American double citizen, was guilty of stolen over 3,600 military technology files. The stolen data included sensitive information about camouflage cap systems against infrared -seeking rockets and radiation -resistant cameras for early warning systems. Another case concerned Song Wu, a 39-year-old engineer of the state-owned Chinese aviation company Avic, who had been holding phishing attacks against NASA, US military and universities for years.
How Bloomberg reports, NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens confirmed the new guidelines: The authority had taken “internal measures regarding Chinese nationals, including the limitation of physical and cyber security access to our facilities, materials and networks”. This is necessary to “ensure the security of our work”. Artemis 2: This is how the test mission should look like the moon
Stressful race to the moon
The time of the measure is no coincidence: Both superpowers are planning moon missions within the next five years. With its Artemis program, NASA is aiming for a landing for 2027, while China wants to bring taiconauts to the earth drabant by 2030.
The Artemis program, named after the Greek goddess of hunting and twin sister Apollos, is to bring people to the moon for the first time since 1972. China pursues similarly ambitious goals with its manned space program and has already carried out several successful unmanned moon missions, including the Chang’e probes.
Criticism of the measures
The scientific community reacts split to the NASA decision. Denis Simon from the Quincy Institute criticized in the South China Morning Post that the measure “the anti-China paranoia in the US government” nourished. Gregory Kulacki from the Union of Concerned Scientists warned of missed opportunities for cooperation, especially when monitoring the increasingly overcrowded orbits, where space junk is a growing danger. The NASA decision shows how much the tensions between the superpowers have tightened.
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