China welcomes scientists to study lunar rocks and dust

Beijing. Chinese space officials welcomed scientists from around the world on Monday to study samples of rocks and dust from the dark side of the Moon brought back to Earth by the Chang’e-6 mission, but said the United States should remove obstacles to cooperation between both nations.

Officials said at a news conference to showcase the accomplishments of the current lunar mission that any cooperation with Washington would depend on repealing the Wolf Amendment, which prohibits direct bilateral cooperation with NASA, The source of the obstacle in aerospace cooperation with Beijing.

If the United States really wants to have normal space exchanges with China, I think they should take practical measures to remove obstacles. that limit cooperation,” highlighted Bian Zhigang, deputy administrator of the National Space Administration (CNSA), and specified that it has always been open to space cooperation and exchanges.

The amendment, passed in 2011, prohibits the U.S. space agency from using government funds to engage in direct space cooperation with China without explicit permission from Congress.

Bian stressed that China’s achievements in space were possible thanks to its own efforts and know-how, and while US law had slowed cooperation, cannot hinder the rapid development of this space industry of the Asian giant.

Chang’e-6 successfully landed on Earth last Tuesday, making China the first country to do so. The geological structure, material composition, and early cosmic environment of the Moon’s far side are full of mysteriescommented the official.

Liu Yunfeng, head of international cooperation at CNSA, said the space agency had set up an application process for international scientists who want to take part in the research.

“China welcomes scientific researchers from all countries to apply in accordance with relevant procedures and share the benefits,” he said.

The mission was created together with Pakistan, France, Italy and the European Space Agency on four scientific payloads, including a microsatellite and a radon gas detector. After the success of the mission, heads of multinational space agencies and international organizations, international peers and friends sent us congratulations and hope to deepen cooperation.Bian commented.

Just a year and a half after the launch of Chang’e-6, chief designer Hu Hao said it was a challenge to take into account different languages ​​and work habits when planning international payloads.

The designer explained that Lunar soil samples from the visible side of the Moon are fine and loose, while those from the hidden side appear to be different..

Bian detailed that the next missions would be Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8, to study the resources at the south pole of the Moon.

According to Liu, six international payloads have already been selected for Chang’e-7, while 200 kilograms of payload have been reserved for the Chang’e-8 mission, and 30 requests for cooperation have already been received.

In the previous mission, Chang-Un discovered naturally occurring few-layer graphene for the first time in lunar samples brought back by China’s Chang’e-5 probe.

China also plans to build an international lunar research base, and Liu said the CNSA had signed cooperation agreements for the project with more than 10 countries so far.