Milestone mission accomplished
▶ Chang’e- 5 completes lunar trip, more space missions planned
On the freezing grassland in Siziwang Banner, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a Chinese national flag was placed right next to the re- entry capsule of Chang’e- 5 lunar probe, whose epic predawn landing on Thursday provided the perfect climax to China’s latest moon missions— an epic moon sample return mission.
The safe landing of the long- awaited Chang’e- 5 marked a perfect end to its 23- day journey to the moon, bringing back with it a precious parcel containing not just lunar samples, but also the hopes and expectations to advance humanity’s understanding of Earth’s celestial neighbor.
President Xi Jinping on Thursday early morning sent an immediate con
gratulatory message after the return of the capsule, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, extended greetings to all members who participated in the Chang’e- 5 mission in his congratulatory message.
As one of
the most complex and challenging tasks in the country’s aerospace history, Chang’e- 5 has achieved multiple firsts in China’s aerospace history, including the first- ever takeoff from the lunar surface, and the first rendezvous and docking at the lunar orbit.
“The successful mission is a new milestone in the development of China’s space industry, proving that China has mastered the technology for shuttling between Earth and the moon,” Wu Yanhua, the deputy head of the China’s National Space Administration, said on Thursday at a special press conference at the State Council Information Office in Beijing.
The re- entry capsule has been transferred to Beijing as of Thursday afternoon in a Y- 9 helicopter. And the CNSA will hand over the craft to ground applications, as the mission has entered a stage of “science,” the CNSA deputy head revealed on Thursday.
The moon samples will be mainly used for scientific research, and part of them would be exhibited in China’s National Museum and National Astronomical Observatories, according to the CNSA.
China will soon release a lunar sample data management code to guide bilateral and multilateral research collaboration with the international community, and some of the samples will also be given to other countries, following the US and Soviet Union tradition, the space agency added.
International spotlight
In the Chang’e- 5 mission, China carried out coordination and cooperation with the world, including the European Space Agency, Argentina, Namibia, and Pakistan in the field of Telemetry, Tracking, and Command ( TT& C.)
Many national leaders, heads of space agencies and international organizations expressed their congratulations and praise, and looked forward to further cooperation with China, the CNSA official said.
“China is willing to work with like- minded friends from all over the world and share lunar samples with them for scientific research,” Wu told the media when commenting on Reuters’ question on Thursday, that hinted on the possibility of a ChinaNASA joint force on the study of moon samples.
“Very regretfully, US laws have made it very difficult to work with NASA,” Wu said. He noted that it depends on the US government’s attitude.
NASA is currently restricted from directly working with the Chinese space agency or Chinese- owned companies. That provision was inserted in 2011 into the law financing NASA by Frank Wolf, then a Republican congressman from Virginia, to punish China for its human rights record and to protect American aerospace technology.
International space observers reached by the Global Times said they could feel that many at NASA eager to work with China, but complicated political factors would come in the way.
At a talk on Tuesday to the Greater Houston Partnership, an economic development organization, Jim Bridenstine, the NASA administrator, addressed the prospect of relaxing the ban on NASA- China cooperation.
“It’s above my pay grade,” Bridenstine said. “But certainly, I do believe NASA is a tool of diplomacy. I believe that asset is a tool that can be used as, for example, a pot sweetener for a trade deal. I think it can be used for all kinds of purposes for international diplomacy.”
However, observers are reading positive signs and said that since Democrats control the House, they could make a change if they wanted to.
Some said they would be thrilled to see the best in the game of join forces for the love of humanity.
“However, we must stay rational and sober about the gap between China and the US in terms of aerospace development,” Song Zhongping, an aerospace expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Thursday. “We must admit that the US is still leading the world’s space explorations, and cooperating with the US will bring much benefit for both countries.”
“The appeal from NASA senior officials and other US space analysts to share data and cooperate with China on moon explorations have also shown the advancement of China’s space technologies and innovations in a way that the Americans never expected,” he added.