[Text/Observer Network, Xiong Chaoyi] On April 24th, at the opening ceremony of the tenth "China Space Day", the China National Space Administration released the results of the international borrowing application for Chang'e-5 lunar samples and agreed to the applications from seven institutions of six countries. On-site, agreements on the "Lunar Sample Borrowing Agreement for the Chang'e-5 Mission" were signed with five institutions of five countries.
Reuters reported on the same day that among the seven institutions approved to borrow lunar samples, there were two American universities receiving funding from NASA—Brown University and Stony Brook University of the State University of New York. The report pointed out that the announcement of the borrowing application results was the latest move by China to enhance its international influence in lunar exploration, highlighting that despite tensions between China and the United States due to geopolitical and tariff issues, cooperation in fields like space exploration has not completely ceased.
In discussing Sino-US space cooperation, Reuters naturally mentioned the infamous US "space ban"—the "Wolf Amendment." Over time, as China has made significant breakthroughs in lunar exploration and other areas of space technology, applications for international cooperation have surged. However, the existence of this amendment highlights the awkward position of the US side even more.
Ironically, it was reported that even though China has now approved the loan of samples, there are still significant domestic obstacles for US institutions to actually receive them, and they may even need to go through a so-called "national security certification." A report by the Hong Kong South China Morning Post also mentioned that these two American universities still require "special permission" from Congress to receive the samples.
On April 23rd, Academician Wu Weiran of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Chief Designer of the Lunar Exploration Project told Reuters that the US had once been open but now seems quite closed, whereas China is very open today. "This is because the overall strength of our country has increased, which has come with enhanced self-confidence." He also emphasized that America's growing "isolationism" does not help it achieve its "space ambitions."
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Wu Weiran again criticized the US policy that has long restricted NASA from cooperating with China's space agencies. He said, "We welcome exchanges between the US and China, right? We are willing to communicate, but he (the US) doesn't want to communicate with us. Our doors are open, but his doors are closed."
On April 24th, the China National Space Administration released the results of the international borrowing applications for the Chang'e-5 mission lunar samples. Website of the China National Space Administration.
Reuters noted that in 2020, the successful completion of the Chang'e-5 mission made China the third country after the United States and the Soviet Union to collect samples from the moon's surface. Last June, the Chang'e-6 mission made China the first country to bring back samples from the far side of the moon.
Other institutions besides the two American universities that were approved to borrow samples include: the Paris Geophysical Institute of France, Cologne University of Germany, Osaka University of Japan, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, and the Open University of the UK.
The report mentioned that for a long time, cooperation between the two countries in the field of space exploration has been restricted, mainly due to a notorious legislative measure enacted by the US side.
A decade ago, the US began imposing a "space ban" on China, excluding China from the International Space Station project under political, financial, and technological pretexts. In 2011, the US passed the so-called "Wolf Amendment" proposed by former US Representative Frank Rudolph Wolf, which blocked China's participation in the International Space Station cooperation citing alleged "espionage risks."
On October 1st, 2023, China announced that the lunar research samples from the Chang'e-5 mission would be open to international applications, sparking "great enthusiasm" among researchers internationally. At this time, NASA also began attempting to collaborate with the US Congress to create an "exception" for the "Wolf Amendment" so that NASA-funded scientists could apply.
In fact, China's lunar samples are extremely attractive to American scientists. The earliest news of US institutions' intention to apply for studying China's lunar soil came from an internal email at the end of 2023, stating that such an application was "necessary" not only because the lunar soil samples from China have "unique value," but also because the lunar soil samples from the Chang'e-5 mission are already open to international applications.
"They (Chinese samples) come from lunar regions where NASA has not yet sampled, and are expected to provide valuable new scientific insights into the geological history of the moon." An internal email previously leaked by the US side wrote: "Applying for these samples will ensure that American researchers have the same research opportunities as scientists worldwide."
On October 23rd, 2023, a Reuters report noticed that China welcomed research personnel from various countries to submit lunar sample research applications according to relevant procedures and explicitly mentioned the "Wolf Amendment," which restricts Sino-US space cooperation. Former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson (Bill Nelson) told Reuters during the International Astronautical Congress held in Milan, Italy in October that NASA officials have been discussing the terms of the lunar soil sample borrowing agreement with their Chinese counterparts, and he assured US lawmakers just "one or two months ago" that this negotiation would not constitute a "national security issue."
At the time, Nelson revealed that four US universities had applied for Chinese samples, and he expected that China would eventually agree to lend the samples through negotiations. On the other hand, he said that if the lunar samples were to be delivered to US universities for research, NASA might still need to cooperate with the FBI to obtain another so-called "national security certification."
On November 9th, 2023, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post reported that officials from both sides of China and the US have been negotiating the provision of lunar samples from the "Apollo Moon Landing Program" to China and the possibility of providing samples brought back by the Chang'e-5 mission to American scientists for study. However, informed sources at the time revealed that although China was ready to share its lunar soil samples, requests for access to American samples had not received a response from NASA.
Previously, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning emphasized that the Chinese government holds an open attitude towards Sino-US space exchanges and cooperation. The Chang'e-6 mission has issued a cooperation opportunity announcement to the world, and we welcome participation from scientists worldwide in the study of lunar samples. "It seems the US side has forgotten the existence of domestic laws like the 'Wolf Amendment.' I wonder if American scientists and related institutions will be allowed by their own government to participate in dialogue and cooperation," Mao Ning said.
From October 14th to 18th, 2024, the 75th International Astronautical Congress was held in Milan, Italy, where lunar soil samples returned from the far side of the moon by the Chang'e-6 mission were exhibited globally for the first time. Photo by De Yongjian, China News Service. IC Photo.
In a report published by Bloomberg on April 24th, Chief Designer of China's Lunar Exploration Project Wu Weiran compared the different development trajectories of the two countries in lunar exploration. "When presidents change in the US, policies change accordingly," he said. "In China, we anchor our goals and steadfastly follow one blueprint, allowing us to advance smoothly and decisively; this is the difference between our two countries."
In recent years, China's lunar exploration program has progressed smoothly, with steady progress in manned lunar landing development. Multiple circumlunar detection and sampling missions have been conducted to lay the groundwork for the first Chinese landing on the moon before 2030.
On July 12th, 2023, Vice Chief Designer of China's Manned Spaceflight Engineering Office Zhang Hailian disclosed at the Ninth China (International) Commercial Aerospace Forum in Wuhan that China plans to achieve a manned lunar landing for scientific exploration before 2030, followed by exploring the construction of a lunar research station to conduct systematic and continuous lunar exploration and related technical verification.
On November 21st, 2024, Chief Designer of China's Manned Spaceflight Engineering Zhou Jianping stated at the Sixth Manned Spaceflight Academic Conference held in Shenzhen that the preliminary key technology攻关and in-depth argumentation for China's manned lunar landing mission have been completed, and the project has fully entered the prototype development stage.
Reuters reported that a Chinese national space official stated on April 23rd that multiple international payloads were carried aboard the previous Chang'e-4 and Chang'e-6 missions, and the upcoming Chang'e-7 mission will be equipped with six international payloads. Cooperation details for the subsequent Chang'e-8 mission are currently being discussed with ten countries. Through the Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 missions, China hopes to provide scientific basis for the site selection and construction plan of a permanent manned lunar base before 2035.
On April 24th, Sun Zhongde, head of the China National Space Administration, stated that China's lunar exploration project always adheres to the principles of equality, mutual benefit, peaceful use, and win-win cooperation, sharing development outcomes with the international community. China will continue to open international applications for lunar research samples, and we look forward to global scientists making more discoveries and jointly expanding human cognition for the benefit of all humanity.
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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497254692906189331/
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