HELSINKI \u2014 China has accepted a number of international applications to borrow small portions of moon samples collected by its Chang\u2019e-5 mission, including those from two U.S. universities.<\/p>\n
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced the results of a latest round of international applications to borrow samples in Shanghai, April 24, during a conference marking China\u2019s 10th annual space day. The event included a lunar sample loan agreement ceremony.<\/p>\n
Seven universities from six countries\u2014the U.S., Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Pakistan\u2014had applications approved, following a CNSA review in accordance with its sample management and cooperation rules, CNSA said in a statement<\/a>. The U.S. institutions are Brown University and Stony Brook University, both of which receive NASA funding.<\/p>\n The announcement comes amid U.S.-China trade tensions following the imposition of tariffs by the Trump administration, U.S. barriers to bilateral cooperation on space, and wider Chinese space diplomacy efforts.<\/p>\n CNSA also announced the selection<\/a> of a series of international projects to join its planned Chang\u2019e-8 lunar south pole landing mission April 24. The selected projects featured countries involved in the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS<\/a>), a China-led alternative to the U.S. Artemis lunar framework. The agency also stated in Shanghai that its Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission, scheduled to launch late 2028, is open to proposals<\/a> for international payloads.<\/p>\n