Sept. 11 (UPI) -- NASA has banned Chinese citizens with valid U.S. visas from working on its space programs at its facilities.

NASA has restored contact with one of a pair of space science satellites that ran into problems shortly after its July launch.

NASA has banned Chinese citizens with US visas from participating in agency programs — a dramatic escalation in the space race between China and the United States.

The House committee met to discuss the commerce, justice, and science budget bill, which allocates funding to federal agencies like NASA. The bill secures more than $24.8 billion for NASA, about the same amount the agency received in 2024 and 2025—much higher than the administration’s previously proposed $18.8 billion for 2026.

House appropriators offered support, but no specific funding, for several NASA missions slated for cancellation in the administration’s 2026 budget.

It is unclear how much notice Nasa gave Chinese nationals who were working for the agency. Bloomberg reported that they had suddenly found they were denied access to the agency's data systems and were barred from participating in meetings relating to their work - both in-person and virtual.

I/ATLAS is a fast, ancient interstellar object. Its odd features fuel both scientific study and speculation. On July 1, astronomers detected a strange, fast-moving object racing toward the Sun. Named 3I/ATLAS,

NASA employees are once again taking to the streets to raise awareness about deep science cuts and layoffs at the space agency.