Latest news with #Chang'e
RTHK
06-05-2025
- Business
- RTHK
HK 'can play bigger role in space industry'
HK 'can play bigger role in space industry' Regina Ip says Hong Kong can make more contributions to the country's space development. Photo: RTHK Executive Council convener Regina Ip said on Tuesday Hong Kong can play a more significant role in the country's space development and expressed hopes that commercial opportunities in the sector can be explored during an upcoming summit. Ip made the remarks during a media preview for this year's Global Prosperity Summit, scheduled for May 19 to 21. The summit, now in its second edition, will feature five major topics: artificial intelligence; climate change; trade war and hot wars; Hong Kong's bridging role in a changing world; and, for the first time, space development. Ip, who founded the inaugural summit last year, said there's room for Hong Kong to play a role in developing the space industry, particularly the commercial aspects. 'Hong Kong has always taken part in the nation's space programme," she said. "Our universities have contributed technologies, and we are sending experts to join the Chang'e programme. "So from the viewpoint of technology, we have always played a small but active part. 'We plan to discuss the commercial possibilities, particularly as the financial secretary has mentioned, in his budget speech, the developmental potential of low-orbit satellites.' The event also marks the first time the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong has joined as a co-organiser. Local think tank Savantas Policy Institute, which Ip chairs, and the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies co-organised the first summit. Ip also insisted that US diplomats would continue to participate at the summit, including Kurt Tong and Hanscom Smith, former consuls general to Hong Kong and Macau. Another highlight of the summit, Ip said, will be a closed-door meeting on the final day, when experts from the United States, Europe and Beijing will discuss economic security and international trade. Ip has postponed a planned visit to the US, originally scheduled during Easter, saying that she felt the timing was not right and that she will not be travelling there this year.
The Independent
25-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
China shares rare Moon rocks with US despite trade war
China 's space agency announced it would allow scientists from the US and allied nations to analyse lunar rocks retrieved by its Chang'e missions. The agency listed Brown University and State University of New York at Stony Brook, both recipients of Nasa funding, among the seven institutions granted permission to borrow lunar samples that China collected from the moon in 2020. Shan Zhongde, head of the China National Space Administration, said on Thursday that the lunar samples were 'a shared treasure for all humanity'. The agency would 'maintain an increasingly active and open stance' in international space exchange and cooperation, he was quoted as saying by local media. 'I believe China's circle of friends in space will continue to grow.' Chinese researchers, in contrast, have been unable to access Nasa 's Moon samples due to restrictions imposed by American lawmakers on their space agency's collaboration with China. The University of Cologne in Germany, Osaka University in Japan, the Open University in the UK, the Paris Institute of Planetary Physics, and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission of Pakistan would receive the Chinese samples as well. The Chinese agency had received requests to borrow the moon rocks from 11 nations, Mr Shan said. 'China's lunar exploration programme has always adhered to the principles of equality, mutual benefit, peaceful use, and win-win cooperation, sharing development achievements with the international community,' he said. 'We look forward to scientists worldwide making more scientific discoveries, jointly expanding human knowledge and benefiting all of humanity.' In 2020, China's uncrewed Chang'e 5 mission made it the third country, after the Soviet Union and the US, to collect rocks from the Moon. In June last year, the Chang'e 6 mission became the first to retrieve samples from the far side of the Moon. In October last year, Nasa chief Bill Nelson told Reuters American and Chinese space agencies were negotiating the terms of Beijing's loan agreement for the Chang'e 5 moon rocks, after reassuring American lawmakers that the discussions would not raise national security concerns. 'It seems the United States is quite closed off now despite being open in the past, while we were closed off in the past and are now open; this is because of the increase in our nation's overall strength and consequent rise in self-confidence,' Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration programme, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday, adding that growing US 'isolationism' would not help its space ambitions. He said China followed an open space diplomacy policy, unlike the US, and was open to collaborate on lunar exploration with both developing and developed nations. The loaning of Moon rocks, observers noted, highlighted ongoing cooperation in space despite broader geopolitical tensions escalating after US president Donald Trump's imposition of sweeping tariffs on China earlier this month. The US imposed tariffs of up to 245 per cent on Chinese goods and Beijing retaliated with 125 per cent tariffs on US products. Although Mr Trump has since suggested a possible de-escalation in the trade war, Beijing has denied any ongoing negotiations between the two sides. Meanwhile, US laws and security concerns will require Nasa to work with the FBI for any future sample deliveries.
See - Sada Elbalad
23-04-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
China Develops Tech for Lunar Mission
Israa Farhan China is accelerating preparations for its first crewed lunar landing, with key mission components now in advanced stages of development and testing, according to Lin Xiqiang, Deputy Director of the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). At a press conference on Wednesday, Lin confirmed that major elements of the mission—including the Long March-10 rocket, Mengzhou crewed spacecraft, Lanyue lunar lander, Wangyu lunar spacesuit, and Tansuo lunar rover—are all undergoing prototype research and testing as scheduled. The mission, part of China's long-term lunar exploration initiative, aims to place astronauts on the Moon by 2030. Once achieved, the crew is expected to conduct scientific research and collect samples for further analysis back on Earth. This mission marks a pivotal phase in China's lunar program, known as Chang'e, which began in 2007 with the launch of Chang'e-1. That first satellite mission helped map the Moon's surface and provided critical data, including the first Chinese-generated lunar heat map. The upcoming crewed mission underscores China's growing ambitions in space exploration, positioning it as a major player in the new era of lunar science and interplanetary missions. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Lifestyle Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Videos & Features Bouchra Dahlab Crowned Miss Arab World 2025 .. Reem Ganzoury Wins Miss Arab Africa Title (VIDEO) Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple
Japan Today
23-04-2025
- Science
- Japan Today
China-led lunar base to include nuclear power plant on moon's surface
FILE PHOTO: The moon is seen over the city of Beijing, China, February 20, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo By Eduardo Baptista China is considering building a nuclear plant on the moon to power the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) it is planning with Russia, a presentation by a senior official showed on Wednesday. China is aiming to become a major space power and land astronauts on the moon by 2030, and its Chang'e-8 mission aims to lay the groundwork for the construction of a permanent manned lunar base. In a presentation in Shanghai, the 2028 mission's Chief Engineer Pei Zhaoyu showed that the lunar base's energy supply could also depend on large-scale solar arrays, and pipelines and cables for heating and electricity built on the moon's surface. Russia's space agency Roscosmos announced last year plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon's surface with the China National Space Administration by 2035 in order to power the ILRS. The inclusion of the nuclear power unit in a Chinese space official's presentation to officials from the 17 countries and international organizations that make up the ILRS suggests Beijing supports the idea although it has never formally announced it. China's timeline to build an outpost on the moon's south pole coincides with NASA's more ambitious and advanced Artemis program, which aims to put U.S. astronauts back on the lunar surface in December 2025. Wu Weiren, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Project, said last year that a 'basic model' of the ILRS, with the moon's south pole as its core, would be built by 2035. The Chang'e lunar probe launches are part of the construction phase for the 'basic model' outlined by Wu. In the future, China will create the '555 Project', inviting 50 countries, 500 international scientific research institutions, and 5,000 overseas researchers to join the ILRS. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
The Independent
23-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
China plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon to fuel lunar base
China is exploring the possibility of constructing a nuclear power plant on the Moon to provide energy for the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a joint project with Russia. The plan was revealed in a presentation on Wednesday by Pei Zhaoyu, chief engineer of the Chang'e-8 mission. The Chang'e-8 mission, scheduled for 2028, is a crucial step in China's ambitious space programme, which aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030 and establish a permanent staffed lunar base. The mission will lay the groundwork for this base, including exploring energy options. While a lunar nuclear plant is under consideration, Pei Zhaoyu's presentation also outlined alternative power sources. These include large-scale solar arrays deployed on the lunar surface, along with pipelines and cables to distribute heat and electricity across the base. The collaborative effort between China and Russia to establish a lunar nuclear reactor by 2035, as announced by Roscosmos in 2024, underscores the commitment to powering the ILRS and enabling long-term lunar exploration. The inclusion of the nuclear power unit in a Chinese space official's presentation to officials from the 17 countries and international organisations that make up the ILRS suggests Beijing supports the idea although it has never formally announced it. China's timeline to build an outpost on the Moon's south pole coincides with NASA 's more ambitious and advanced Artemis programme, which aims to put U.S. astronauts back on the lunar surface in December 2025. Wu Weiren, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Project, said last year that a 'basic model' of the ILRS, with the Moon's south pole as its core, would be built by 2035. The Chang'e lunar probe launches are part of the construction phase for the 'basic model' outlined by Wu. In the future, China will create the '555 Project', inviting 50 countries, 500 international scientific research institutions, and 5,000 overseas researchers to join the ILRS.
