NASA opening door would be boon for global space research

The "small yard, high fence" policies of the US with regard to China generally extend to space research cooperation. Such research collaborations are barred by a US law that forbids the use of NASA funds for projects with China or Chinese-owned companies, unless NASA certifies to Congress that there is no risk of transferring technology or data to China and Congress gives its approval.

NASA recently emailed planetary scientists saying that it had sent the necessary certification to Congress and agency-funded researchers could apply to the China National Space Administration to use samples of the lunar soil for research. It is believed that analyzing the samples could lead to new scientific insights into the geological history of the moon and potentially inform NASA's future lunar exploration plans, the agency suggested. US researchers had started lobbying NASA officials to explore the possibility of gaining access to the samples soon after the Chang'e 5 sample return capsule touched down.

The ban on bilateral cooperation was an amendment to NASA's annual appropriations bill by former representative Frank Wolf in 2011, who hoped to prevent China from developing space-related technology and expertise through collaborations with NASA.