China space program

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China: US Scientists Can Study Lunar Samples, on One Condition

Chinese officials want US to ditch law banning cooperation with NASA

(Newser) - China's space officials said Thursday they welcomed scientists from around the world to apply to study the lunar rock samples that the Chang'e 6 probe brought back to Earth in a historic mission, but noted there were limits to that cooperation, specifically with the United States. Officials said...

First Samples From Moon's Far Side Return to Earth

China's lunar probe is back

(Newser) - China's Chang'e 6 lunar probe returned to Earth on Tuesday with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first, the AP reports. The probe landed in northern China on Tuesday afternoon in the Inner Mongolian region. "I now declare...

China Launches Ambitious Moon Mission

Chang'e-6 is expected to return with samples from moon's far side after 53 days

(Newser) - China launched a lunar probe on Friday to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. The rocket carrying the Chang'e-6 lunar probe—named after the Chinese mythical moon goddess—...

NASA Chief: China Is Hiding Its Military Goals in Space

'We believe that a lot of their so-called civilian space program is a military program'

(Newser) - NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warned lawmakers about China's space program as he made his pitch for the agency's 2025 budget Wednesday. Nelson said China was using its civilian program to mask its military presence in space, AFP reports. "We believe that a lot of their so-called civilian...

Space Force Is Considering Setting Up Base in 3rd Country

Commander says force is also considering setting up hotline with its counterpart in China

(Newser) - The commander of the US Space Force says the newest branch of the military is stepping up its activities in Asia and is considering establishing a hotline with its counterpart in China. Gen. Chance Saltzman said Monday that Space Force has discussed "opening up a line of communication to...

China Sets Out Ambitious Space Goals

Country plans to have astronauts on moon by 2030

(Newser) - China’s burgeoning space program plans to place astronauts on the moon before 2030 and expand the country's orbiting space station, officials said Monday. The announcement comes against the background of a rivalry with the US for reaching new milestones in outer space, reflecting their competition for influence on...

There's a Space Race On, and China Could Win It

'We better watch out,' says NASA Administrator Bill Nelson

(Newser) - "It is a fact: We're in a space race," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told Politico in a recent interview. And it's not just about politics and bragging rights—there are both national security and practical implications, according to many US officials. "We better watch out...

Chinese Crew Returns From Space Station

Astronauts spent 6 months working on Tiangong

(Newser) - Three Chinese astronauts landed in a northern desert on Sunday after six months working to complete construction of the Tiangong station, a symbol of their country's ambitious space program, state TV reported. A capsule carrying commander Chen Dong and astronauts Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe touched down at a...

China Slams America's 'Dirty Record' in Space

Officials reject NASA chief's accusation that China is trying to take over the moon

(Newser) - China has angrily fired back at NASA Administrator Bill Nelson's criticism of its space program, denying that it is planning to take over the moon. In an interview with Germany's Bild newspaper published Saturday, Nelson said, "We must be very concerned about China landing on the moon...

Double Crater on Moon Left by Space Junk Puzzles NASA

Debris has hit the surface before but never caused a dual crater

(Newser) - Astronomers knew a hunk of debris from an unknown spacecraft was going to slam into the far side of the moon in March, so they got plenty of before-and-after photographs of the surface. Software usually compares the photos, looking for what's changed to tell where the object hit, the...

China Launches 3 Astronauts to New Space Station

They'll stay 3 months in the Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony

(Newser) - Under bright blue morning skies, China launched its first crewed space mission in five years Thursday, sending three science-minded military pilots rocketing to a new orbiting station they're expected to reach around mid-afternoon. The astronauts, already wearing their spacesuits, were seen off by space officials, other uniformed military personnel,...

China Gambles, Wins With Massive Rocket Re-Entry

Long March 5B burned up over the Maldives

(Newser) - China's space agency said a core segment of its biggest rocket reentered Earth’s atmosphere above the Maldives in the Indian Ocean and that most of it burned up early Sunday, per the AP . Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who tracked the tumbling rocket part, said on Twitter, “An...

China's Rocket Debris Set for Uncontrolled Re-Entry

21-ton Long March rocket core will crash at an unknown location within days

(Newser) - Last week's launch of the Tianhe space station module was a great leap forward for China's space program—but the Long March 5B rocket used for the launch could cause some major problems back on Earth. The 21-ton core of the rocket is now orbiting Earth and slowly...

Barred From the ISS, China Launches Own Space Station

Beijing aims to complete Tiangong in 2022

(Newser) - With potential retirement looming for the International Space Station, Russia says it plans to launch its own space station by 2030, but China is edging ahead in the space race: The country launched the main part of its new space station on Thursday. The Tianhe—"Heavenly Harmony"—module...

China Just Made History on the Moon

Craft lands on the far side of the moon, the first to do so

(Newser) - A Chinese spacecraft on Thursday made the first-ever landing on the far side of the moon, state media said. The lunar explorer Chang'e 4 touched down at 10:26am, China Central Television said during its noon broadcast. The far side of the moon faces away from Earth and is...

Defunct Space Station Due to Fall to Earth This Weekend

Tiangong-1 is believed to be out of control

(Newser) - China's defunct and reportedly out-of-control Tiangong 1 space station is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere sometime this weekend. It poses only a slight risk to people and property on the ground, since most of the bus-size, 8.5-ton vehicle is expected to burn up on re-entry, although space...

China's Moon Rover 'Back From the Dead'

Jade Rabbit survives lunar night

(Newser) - Zombie on the moon: China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover has shown signs of life despite earlier reports that it had died following mechanical difficulties in the extreme cold of the lunar night. The rover—which signed off with the ominous words "Goodnight humanity" at the end of January—...

China's Moon Lander May Die in Lunar Night

Jade Rabbit hits snag thanks to 'complicated lunar surface'

(Newser) - China's moon rover Jade Rabbit has "experienced a mechanical control abnormality" that might scuttle its mission entirely. The problem came due to the "complicated lunar environment," the state-run Xinhua news service reported on Saturday, just before the rover went into sleep mode for the lunar night....

Why China's Moon Mission Matters

It could learn a lot about what we don't know about

(Newser) - Last month China became the third country to "soft land" on the moon, and as the Los Angeles Times points out, most residents of the second country to do so (that would be America) didn't bat an eyelash. But Chang'e 3 is blowing away one group: lunar...

China Becomes 3rd Country to 'Soft Land' on Moon

Completes first soft landing of a space probe in nearly 40 years

(Newser) - State media say China has safely carried out the world's first soft landing of a space probe on the moon in nearly four decades. State television showed pictures of the moon's surface as the Chang'e 3 lander touched down tonight. The lander carries a moon rover called...

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