HELSINKI — NASA-funded researchers have been granted permission to apply for access to China’s Chang’e-5 lunar samples in an exception to a prohibition on bilateral activities.
An internal email sent Nov. 29 informed NASA researchers that they would be able to apply to the China National Space Administration (CNSA) for access to portions of samples collected by China’s Chang’e-5 mission.
“NASA has certified its intent to Congress to allow NASA-funded researchers to apply to the China National Space Administration for access to lunar samples returned to Earth on the Chang’e-5 mission and made available recently to the international scientific community for research purposes,” the email read.
The move opens the rare possibility of cooperation between China and NASA-funded entities and researchers. It also comes despite NASA Administrator Bill Nelson’s strong rhetoric towards China and his stated support for maintaining ongoing restrictions on collaboration.
The “Wolf Amendment” is a provision in annual NASA appropriations bills which heavily restricts bilateral cooperation with entities of the People’s Republic of China. Any NASA-funded individual or entity seeking to engage in bilateral activity would require a prior written request to, and granted permission from, Congress in advance, along with certification from the FBI that the activities would not pose a national security risk.
China launched its Chang’e-5 mission in late 2020. The complex, four-spacecraft mission included a lunar landing, ascent from the lunar surface, docking in lunar orbit and a high-speed atmospheric reentry.
The mission collected 1,731 grams of material from a geologically young area of Oceanus Procellarum, using a scoop and a drill. The country said it would make samples available internationally, after first allowing Chinese researchers and institutions access.
The samples have generated a range of science papers relating to…
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