Chinese nationals have been banned from boarding Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic space flights – in case they steal the rocket technology. Tycoons from China have been told they cannot be among the space tourists because of anti-espionage regulations in the US, from where the British firm’s first commercial flights are due to take off later this year.
But because Virgin’s craft has a rocket engine, it is seen as potentially military technology by the US’s International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
These rules, introduced in the Cold War, bar people from countries such as China, Iran and North Korea from having access to weapons technology.
The restriction freezes out a huge market in China, where wealthy entrepreneurs are willing to pay the $250,000 (£151,000) ticket price for a space flight. Some 600 people worldwide have already put down deposits.
‘We have had calls from people in China but we have to tell them we can’t accept them if they only have a Chinese passport,’ said a Virgin Galactic salesman based in Hong Kong.
‘We advise them on how they can make themselves eligible for a space tour. For example, they can get another nationality’s passport or they can apply for a [US] Green Card.’
Some have successfully applied for Hong Kong passports, the salesman said, as the former British colony is exempt from the ban.
Virgin Galactic has been holding talks with US regulators to ask for an exception to the rules, which also stop it launching flights outside the US.
The maiden voyage is set to blast off from New Mexico in the second half of this year, with Branson and his children Holly and Sam on board.
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