Latest news with #Chang'e-5
United News of India
12-05-2025
- Science
- United News of India
China's Chang'e-5-lunar mission provides scientists with new insights into Moon's hidden interior
Beijing/Canberra, May 12 (UNI) Tiny green glass beads collected by China's Chang'e-5 lunar mission are providing scientists with unprecedented insights into the Moon's hidden interior, according to Chinese and Australian researchers on Monday. Unlike typical lunar glass formed by surface impacts, these beads contain unusually high levels of magnesium, which was evidence of a potentially deeper origin, said a press release from Australia's Curtin University. "These high-magnesium glass beads may have formed when an asteroid smashed into rocks that originated from the mantle deep within the Moon," said Alexander Nemchin of Curtin's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences. "This is exciting, because we've never sampled the mantle directly before: the tiny glass beads offer us a glimpse of the Moon's hidden interior," said Nemchin, one of the authors of the joint study published in Science Advances. Co-author Tim Johnson, Nemchin's colleague, said the composition of the beads differs markedly from previously studied lunar materials, suggesting they may have surfaced during the formation of the Imbrium Basin, a massive impact crater over 3 billion years old. "Remote sensing has shown the area around the basin's edge contains the kind of minerals that match the glass bead chemistry," Johnson said, adding if these samples are indeed from the mantle, it confirms that giant impacts can bring deep, otherwise inaccessible material to the surface -- a major breakthrough in understanding the Moon's geological evolution. Lead author Wang Xiaolei from China's Nanjing University said the discovery could shape future Moon missions. Uncovering the Moon's interior structure helps us compare it with Earth and other planets, and better plan robotic or crewed exploration, Wang said. UNI/XINHUA ANV RN
Ammon
27-04-2025
- Science
- Ammon
China deepens international collaboration to push forward deep-space exploration
Ammon News - China, with an open stance, is collaborating with the international community to drive breakthroughs in deep-space exploration and foster resource sharing, striving to build a shared future in the occasion of Space Day of China, which is celebrated annually on April 24, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced a series of international collaboration initiatives to advance deep-space institutions from six countries France, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States have been authorized to borrow the lunar samples collected by China's Chang'e-5 mission for scientific 2020, the Chang'e-5 mission retrieved samples from the moon weighing about 1,731 grams, which were the first lunar samples in the world in over 40 years, helping advance humanity's knowledge about the moon. Shan Zhongde, head of the CNSA, said China's lunar exploration program has always adhered to the principles of equality, mutual benefits, peaceful utilization and win-win cooperation, sharing achievements with the international community. Xinhua
Borneo Post
25-04-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Cooperation with China to boost Thailand's space industry development
Photo taken on April 8, 2025 shows the ground station of GISTDA in Sriracha, Chonburi Province, Thailand. – Xinhua photo BANGKOK (April 26): Aerospace-related elements can be seen everywhere in Thailand's Space Krenovation Park, located in Sriracha, Chonburi Province, about two hours' drive southeast from Bangkok. Research and development institutions such as the Space Technology Center and the National Satellite Manufacturing Center from Geo-informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) are located in the park. In front of the exhibition area of THEOS-2, Thailand's low earth orbit satellite, Atipat Wattanuntachai, the mechanical lead engineer of the Satellite Manufacturing Division of the GISTDA, pointed to a vibration testing equipment and said that the machine is from China and can evaluate the performance and reliability of the satellite through vibration testing, providing guarantee for the launch and operation of the satellite. 'Thanks to China's support for Thailand in the space technology field, the cooperation with China has promoted the rapid development of Thailand's space industry,' Atipat said. Atipat speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Sriracha, Chonburi Province, Thailand on April 8, 2025. – Xinhua photo The GISTDA is a national public agency affiliated to Thailand's Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation. The purpose of the agency is to promote the development of aerospace and geographic information technology in Thailand, as well as satellite development and satellite remote sensing image services. Phee Choosri, deputy executive director of the GISTDA, said that China is an important partner in the fields of Thailand's aerospace technology and geographic information. Currently, the GISTDA has collaborated with more than 10 Chinese organisations in these fields, covering from applied research to upstream industries and even space exploration. Last year, China and Thailand signed two memorandums of understanding to cooperate on exploration and peaceful use of outer space as well as on an international lunar research station. The lunar sample from China's Chang'e-5 mission was exhibited in Thailand for the first time in July last year, attracting a large number of Thai people to visit. And China's Chang'e-7 lunar exploration mission will have onboard a Thailand-developed global space weather monitoring device, which is designed to observe cosmic radiation and space weather from the lunar perspective. 'Space exploration is a mission that Thailand attaches great importance to. And the cooperation with China in Chang'e mission provides Thailand with the opportunity to get involved in high-tech projects, promoting the development of Thai space technology, and cultivating Thai talents in the fields of aerospace technology,' said Phee. The cooperation between China and Thailand in space technology has been continuously deepening in recent years. China successfully retrieved its first reusable and returnable test satellite, Shijian-19 in October last year, and Shijian-19 has carried payloads from foreign countries including Thailand and Pakistan. Photo taken on April 8, 2025 shows the exhibition hall of GISTDA in Sriracha, Chonburi Province, Thailand. – Xinhua photo Phee said that China's Shijian-19 provided Thailand with the payloads opportunity to send Thai high-quality rice seeds into space, with the goal of cultivating rice that can withstand harsh environments, contributing to national food security and the future development of the space economy. Talent cultivation is also a focus of the cooperation in aerospace technology between China and Thailand. The GISTDA has worked with China's Wuhan University to offer a master degree programme in geographic information science. Thailand is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organisation (APSCO), headquartered in Beijing, which has carried out various exchange activities in space technology, including satellite development and human resource development. Atipat said the greatest beneficiaries of these projects are the young generation who have space dreams. Through cooperation and exchanges or further studies in China, these young Thai people have learned cutting-edge technologies in the aerospace field, further igniting their space dreams. Phee speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Bangkok, Thailand on April 8, 2025. – Xinhua photo 'China is one of the world's leading aerospace powers and an important promoter of the global space economy and industry. 'Deepening cooperation with China in the aerospace field will bring many important opportunities and benefits to Thailand,' said Phee. He hoped Thailand's space technology can reach the world's leading level and occupy a place in the future space economy. – Xinhua China space technology Thailand Xinhua
Borneo Post
25-04-2025
- Science
- Borneo Post
China's space exploration benefits the world
Image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on April 25, 2025 shows a group photo of the crew of Shenzhou-19 and Shenzhou-20 manned spaceships. – Xinhua photo BEIJING (April 26): China launched the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship Thursday, continuing efforts to advance space technology for all humanity – a vision long championed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Over the past years, Xi has addressed the importance of international cooperation in peaceful space exploration and development on multiple occasions. During the meeting with the Shenzhou-12 astronauts in 2021, Xi said that progress in space science and technology will benefit people around the world, and China wants to use space exploration achievements to create a better future for mankind. When meeting representatives of the Chang'e-5 mission in 2021, Xi stressed actively conducting international cooperation and making more contributions to humanity's well-being. According to the China Manned Space Agency, China is in discussions with other nations regarding potential foreign astronaut participation in the country's future space station missions. China welcomes international applications for acquiring lunar samples brought back by the Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6 probes for scientific research. Scientists from various countries have taken part in researching the Chang'e-5 lunar samples. Moreover, Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 lunar probes to be launched in the next three years will offer international payload capacity, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 24, 2025. – Xinhua photo China has also signed cooperation agreements with 17 countries and international organizations on the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) construction, offering various levels and forms of collaboration opportunities. In a congratulatory letter to the First International Summit on BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) Applications in 2021, Xi said China is willing to share the achievements of the BDS with all parties, promote the progress of the global satellite navigation industry and make the BDS better serve the world and benefit humankind. To date, BDS services have been used in precision agriculture and smart ports in Asean countries, South Asia, West Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa to serve local economic and social development. Within the BRICS framework, China will continue advancing the development of the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation to enhance disaster emergency data sharing. China will also provide satellite services to the Belt and Road Initiative partner countries, fostering their sustainable progress in agriculture, disaster prevention, and smart city initiatives. When he met with representatives of space scientists and engineers who participated in the research and development of the Chang'e-6 lunar mission last year, Xi called for deepening various forms of international exchange and cooperation in the field of space, sharing development achievements with other countries, improving outer space governance, and making space science and technology achievements more beneficial to all people. Outer space is a domain shared by humanity, and space exploration is humanity's common cause, Xi said. – Xinhua
NBC News
25-04-2025
- Science
- NBC News
China to lend moon rocks to NASA-funded U.S. universities
SHANGHAI — China 's national space agency said Thursday that it would let scientists from the U.S. and allied countries analyze rocks it retrieved from the moon, Beijing's latest move to increase the international influence of its lunar exploration program. The announcement highlights how U.S.-China cooperation in some areas like space has not completely ended, despite tensions between the two countries over geopolitics and tariffs. Two U.S. universities that receive NASA funding, Brown University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, are among the seven institutions that have been allowed to borrow lunar samples China retrieved from the moon in 2020. The remaining authorized institutions are from Japan, France, Germany, Britain and Pakistan. With its uncrewed Chang'e-5 mission in 2020 China became only the third country to collect rocks from the lunar surface, joining the Soviet Union and the United States, which last went to the moon and retrieved samples in 1972. China's subsequent uncrewed Chang'e-6 mission, completed in June last year, made it the first country to bring back rocks from the side of the moon facing away from Earth. U.S.-China cooperation on space has long been deterred by a 2011 U.S. law that seeks to ensure American technologies stay out of the hands of China's military. Under the law, NASA must work with the FBI to certify to Congress that any such talks with China would not threaten U.S. national security. NASA head Bill Nelson told Reuters in October that NASA and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) were discussing the terms of Beijing's loan agreement for the Chang'e-5 moon rocks after he assured American lawmakers that the talks would not pose national security concerns. Four U.S. universities had applied for access to the Chang'e-5 samples, Nelson said then, adding that he thought the talks would end with China agreeing to provide access to samples. However, he said he expected NASA to have to work with the FBI for another national security certification to enable any moon rock deliveries to U.S. universities for research. Beijing hopes to use its space prowess to forge closer political ties with close partners and U.S. allies alike. '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 program, told Reuters in an interview Wednesday, adding that growing U.S. 'isolationism' would not help its space ambitions. A CNSA official said Wednesday that the Chang'e-4 and 6 missions had four international payloads, while the Chang'e-7 mission next year will have six international payloads and 'cooperation with 10 countries' is being discussed for the subsequent Chang'e-8 mission. China hopes Chang'e-7 and 8 can help provide the information it needs to decide where and how to build a permanent manned lunar base by 2035.
