China to give rare Moon rocks to 6 countries

China will let scientists from six countries, including the USA, examine the rocks it collected from the Moon.

Two Nasa-funded US institutions have been granted access to the lunar samples collected by the Chang'e-5 mission in 2020, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Thursday.

CNSA chief Shan Zhongde said that the samples were ‘a shared treasure for all humanity,’ local media reported.

Seven universities and institutes from six countries were selected: the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris in France; the University of Cologne in Germany; the University of Osaka in Japan; Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission; The Open University in the United Kingdom; and Brown University and Stony Brook University in the United States.

Agreements were signed with representatives of the selected institutions during the event.

The CNSA began accepting international applications for the Chang'e 5 samples in November 2023. By the deadline at the end of 2023, it had received 24 applications from 11 countries and international organizations, requesting a total of 71 sample sets.