How China is leading research on the Moon right now

A panorama from the Chang’e 6 lander on the Moon’s farside, showing one of its legs and the scoop sampling arm near its surface digs. Image: CNSA / CLEP

Chinese researchers have published a whole range of papers lately on their recent lunar exploration outcomes as well as ongoing scoping of future ambitions. Here’s a contextualized compilation with links explaining takeaways from each paper.

1. Studying rocks from the first lunar farside samples brought to Earth by the Chang’e 6 mission has revealed that the Moon’s global magnetic field persisted longer than thought. Read:

• Release by CAS
• Paper in Nature
• Coverage by Zhang Tong

2. The above finding comes shortly after Chinese scientists associated with the mission dated volcanic samples from Chang’e 6. Read:

• CAS Release One and Two
• Papers in Nature and Science
• Explainer on Moon Monday

3. Chinese researchers at large can now apply for access to Chang’e 6 samples as of November last year, which came after curation and storage of samples was complete. The first batch of Chang’e 6 samples to be dispatched were approved late December alongside the eight batch of Chang’e 5 samples — a total of 8.55 grams across 16 research institutions. However, the Chang’e 5 sample dispatch doesn’t yet include approvals for international proposals as was expected, which might be…