Category Archives: China

Tuesday / 13 January 2026

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Caves May Give Opening to Establishment of Moon Base

Lunar lava tubes may assist in fulfilling order to NASA to establish “initial element of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030” as these caves shelter from radiation, meteorites, temperatures, CMEs; data from LRO evidences cave with stable temp of 17°C extending >60m from base of pit in Mare Tranquillitatis, although cave could extend many km; inflatable module inside would obviate sealing / pressurizing; proposed cave exploration by China, ESA, ispace includes tethered probe or robots: swarms, legged, flying; China taikonaut Ye Guangfu leads cave team for 5 nights at 8°C with psychology / emergency aspects after ESA cave training

Image Credits: CNSA, NASA

Tuesday / 6 January 2026

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2026 Proposed Moon Missions to Advance Science, Prepare for Human Landings

Artemis 2 launching NET 6 Feb for Moon flyby, presaging NET 2028 landing of first woman and possibly 1st person of color or non-USA citizen; “early” 2026 Blue Origin cargo lander Mark-1 to test tech for Artemis 3 human lander; Intuitive Machines IM-3 plans H1 2026 science mission to Reiner Gamma, 7.5°N; Astrobotic Griffin-1 targeting July for taking Astrolab FLIP rover and its payloads to Nobile Crater at South Pole; “late” 2026 has Firefly sending Blue Ghost 2 to far side with Elytra orbital for comms, and China dispatching Chang’E-7 with lander, rover and hopper to hunt volatiles near South Pole

Image Credits: NASA, Astrobotic, Astrolab

Friday / 21 November 2025

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“Moon Bricks” After 1 Year of Radiation / Temps +121°C to -157°C

Returning with Shenzhou-20 crew on SZ-21 craft, being analyzed in China after one-year exposure outside Tiangong Space Station (TSS) are mortise-tenon bricks / blocks created from simulated lunar regolith, i.e., volcanic ash from Changbai Mountain with similar chemical composition; made with hot-press sintering, involving heat up to 2,000°C, pressure ±50 megapascals and possible vacuum or inert gas atmosphere, bricks have similar density as conventional but 3x compressive strength; in-situ resource utilization on Moon would use concentrated solar energy; analysis will continue at years 2 / 3, November 2026 / 2027; developed by National Digital Construction Technology Innovation Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Image Credits: China Central Television (CCTV), China National Space Administration (CNSA)

Tuesday / 11 November 2025

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Lunar Experts Favor More Moon Rock Returns: Selenology to Benefit Humanity

NASA veteran Andrew Petro writes that lunar robotic missions returning regolith will accelerate exploration; lunar geologist Clive Neal analyzes Apollo remnants for resource potential; NASA planetary scientist Noah Petro (no relation) advocates new samples during Artemis missions; regolith research benefits ISRU yielding safer Astronaut missions and lunar base viability; Apollo brought 382kg; authentic samples priceless under USA law, fragments bring ~US$5M illegally; China Chang’E-5 samples sent to scientists worldwide; Outer Space Treaty declares Moon belongs to all, thus symbolic share per human of acre, with lunar ~9.37B acres ample for ~8.2B Earth inhabitants

Image Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 21 October 2025

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Moon Olympics as Overarching Concept

Olympic-class spirit would be appropriate in any discussion of a 2nd Moon race, fostering sports-like excellence in a mode of international friendship during competition; challenges of complexity arise for all, whether SpaceX with a multi-stage system, Blue Origin announcing a new robotic cargo Moon lander prior to its Mark 1, SLS and Orion moving toward launch, or China now test-firing its human-rated long March 10 twice; since People’s Republic of China 2013 Chang’E-3 landing, China has shared Moon rocks / research internationally

Image Credits: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now, CCTV, NASA, CNSA

Friday / 3 October 2025

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Europe Moves Forward with International Collaboration on Moon Missions for Exploration, Monitoring, Mining

Airbus (Netherlands / France, with German / USA / China / Canada offices) supplies European Service Module for Artemis II Orion spacecraft, providing life-support, avionics, solar power, propulsion; ESA Argonaut lunar lander planned to launch NET 2031; Blue Origin (USA / Luxembourg) teams with Luxembourg government / ESRIC / GOMSpace to create Oasis-1 orbiter to map water ice / H3 / rare minierals, before sending Blue Alchemist mining rig; Space Applications Services (Belgium) designing 300kg rover; ispace Europe awaits ESA approval for MAGPIE 30kg rover to analyze subsurface geology, hydrogen forms, et al

Image Credits: Airbus, Blue Origin, NASA

Friday / 5 September 2025

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Hearing in USA Senate Re-Emphasizes Moon Goals, While India and China Expand Focus from Moon to Complete Solar System

Senate Commerce Committee with 28 members held 3 Sep hearing with 4 testifiers including Mike Gold (L), who advocates accelerating Moon landing, need for Gateway and funding, no major changes to Artemis (estimated cost through 2025 US$93B); NASA appoints Amit Kshatriya as Associate Administrator, elevating from Moon-to-Mars program; Moon is crucial stepping stone for complete Solar System exploration; India PM Modi (R): “We have reached the Moon and Mars, we must peek into Deep Space, where lie secrets to benefit humanity“; China quickly advancing long-range vision with its Chang-E lunar missions and Tianwen program to Uranus + beyond

Image Credits: NASA, Office of the Prime Minister

Friday / 25 April 2025

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China National Space Agency Shares Moon ‘Wealth’ with International Scientists

Zhongde Shan, CNSA Director, announced 24 April, China Space Day that 7 applicants are awarded lunar regolith samples from Chang’E-5 for scientific research; awardees are Institute of Geophysics of Paris (France), University of Cologne (Germany), Osaka University (Japan), Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission of Pakistan, Open University of United Kingdom, Brown University of United States and Stony Brook University of State University of New York, with 5 signing “Lunar Sample Loan Agreement” that day; Shan emphasizes China lunar exploration program follows principles of equality, mutual benefit, peaceful use and cooperative success

Credits: CNSA, IPGP, U of Cologne, The Open U, Brown U, Osaka U, Stony Brook, SUPARCO; Dir. Zhongde photo courtesy Harbin U

Tuesday / 11 February 2025

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Dedication to Artemis Program Remains Strong

Artemis Accords represent collaborative, international effort with USA as a rallying point for now 50 nations and organizations; joint statement between Japan Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and US President Trump affirms continued partnership for Artemis missions; JAXA is developing pressurized lunar rover, will provide 2 astronauts, and works with ESA on lunar Gateway; NASA has issued RFP from companies to assume VIPER project search for water ice under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement; other policy changes involve SLS shutdown; archived LEAG Artemis recommendations are now available here 

Pictured: PM Ishiba; Credits: The White House, JAXA, NASA, LEAG

Friday / 13 December 2024

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ILOA-CSA Galaxy Forum China 2024 in Wenchang Impacts Global, Inter-Global Cooperation for Moon / Solar System

Experts from 13 countries at Galaxy Forum exchange visionary ideas on astronomy from the Moon, international human Moon landings, first women on the Moon, NewSpace commercial, lunar property rights, and planned international lunar base projects / payloads; Lunar talks included Wang Wei (CNSA, DSEL), Xuelei Chen (NAOC), Bernard Foing (ILEWG), Margarita Safonova (M. P. Birla, India), Jatan Mehta (Moon Monday), Boonrucksar Soonthornthum (NARIT), Mei Yang (CAST), Steve Durst (ILOA Hawai’i), many others; Galaxy Forum 2024 in Wenchang, near to Wenchang Space Launch Center and Wenchang Aerospace City, hopes to influence and advance robust, international, peaceful, scientific exploration of the Moon and complete Solar System in the 21st Century, with Aloha   

Credits: International Lunar Observatory Association, Chinese Society of Astronautics