China should share its data on Mars in celebration of its feat

China has made it to Mars. The United Arab Emirates’ Hope craft, aiming at the study of weather and climate systems, arrived in Mars orbit in early February, joining others already studying the planet. April’s launch of the module for China’s future space station had the world fretting after the rocket made an uncontrolled re-entry, eventually splashing into the Indian Ocean. The question is whether that success can be shared and amplified for the common good, or whether China’s inward-looking push for self-reliance, its opacity and Western worries about technological transfer dictate the opposite. David Flannery at Queensland University of Technology, who has been working with Nasa’s Mars 2020 team, says China’s mission reflects the scientific goals of the wider community.