China, which aims to become a major space power by 2030, has opened up a key lunar mission to international cooperation as mission deadlines loom for setting up a permanent habitat on the south pole of the moon. China welcomes countries and international organisations on its uncrewed Chang'e-8 mission and to jointly carry out "mission-level" projects, the China National Space …
An illustration shows the orbital transfer injection by Chang'e 5's orbiter-reentry capsule combination. In a study published Oct 8 in Science, Chinese researchers dated two precious fragments of that basalt and pinned a date on one of the moon's last volcanic eruptions: 2 billion years ago. The story goes back to Dec 16, 2020, when China's Chang'e 5 lunar mission …
