Chang’e-5 moon success

China’s Chang’e-5 probe successfully landed on the near side of the moon 11:11 pm Tuesday Beijing time. In the next two days, the lander will collect about two kilograms of lunar samples.
As of 4:53 am Wednesday, the Chang’e-5 probe’s lander-ascender combination had completed drilling the moon surface and sealed its collected samples.
roscosmos and the European Space Agency esa sent congratulations to China on Chang’e-5’s successful moon landing, after the probe touched down on planned location in Oceanus Procellarum on Tuesday evening.

Cosmochemist and geochemist Ouyang Ziyuan 欧阳自远 from the Chinese Academy of Sciences who is now in charge of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program has already stated on many occasions that one of the main goals of the program would be the mining of helium-3, from which operation “each year, three space shuttle missions could bring enough fuel for all human beings across the world.”

Chang’e-1 maps Moon’s Helium-3 inventory
12-6-20 Chang’e-5 ascender has successfully docked with the orbital module at the lunar orbit some 380,000 kilometers away from the Earth, and completed sample transfer from the ascender to the return capsule.

The Chang’e-5 probe, comprising an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner, was launched on Nov. 24, and its lander-ascender combination touched down on the north of the Mons Rumker in Oceanus Procellarum, also known as the Ocean of Storms, on the near side of the moon on Dec. 1. After the samples were collected and sealed, the ascender of Chang’e-5 took off from the lunar surface on Dec. 3. Next, the orbiter-returner will separate from the ascender, and wait for the right time to return to Earth.

12-8-20 The ascender of China’s Chang’e-5 lunar probe carried out deorbiting on Tuesday at 6:59 am and landed on the preset landing area on the moon’s surface at 7:30 am in a controlled manner.

12-13-20 ChangE5 made another successful attempt in making its journey back to home planet Earth with its precious cargo safely stored

12-16-20 ChangE5 orbiter-returner combo successfully conducted second course correction at the moon-Earth transfer orbit on Wed 9:15 am.

12-17-20 Carrying around 2 kilograms of lunar samples, China’s Change5 lunar probe safely landed in the designated area in North China at 1:59 am on Thursday, bringing the craft’s epic round trip between Earth and Moon.

Chang’e-7 and -8 missions will involve inviting relevant countries and agencies to work together to study the feasibility of building a permanent moon base.
The CNSA and scientists are mulling over launching Chang’e-6 sample return mission during China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25); the landing site could be the lunar south pole or far side of the Earth’s natural satellite.

Sanctions on four Americans

Chinese FM announced sanctions on four Americans as countermeasures against earlier US sanctions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong, including NED senior director John Knaus and NDI regional director Manpreet Anand, Rosario, Director of the Hong Kong Chapter, and Xue De-Oo, Director of Programs and urged US to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs. 中方决定对在涉港问题上表现恶劣的美国国家民族基金会亚洲事务高级主任约翰·克劳斯,美国国际事务民主协会亚洲项目负责人阿南德、香港分部主任罗萨里奥、项目主任薛德敖等4人实施制裁。

Shanghai the world’s largest international air travel hub

The coronavirus pandemic has reshuffled the international air travel market, and Shanghai has replaced London as the world’s largest hub, the latest report released by the International Air Transport Association showed.

Shanghai is now the top-ranked city for connectivity with the top four most connected cities all in China – Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. 

The report said London, the world’s number one most-connected city in September 2019, has seen a 67 percent decline in connectivity. By September 2020, it had fallen to number eight. The report also said New York (-66 percent fall in connectivity), Tokyo (-65 percent), Bangkok (-81 percent), Hong Kong (-81 percent) and Seoul (-69 percent) have all exited the top ten.  

Chinese military urged to modernize theories, organization, weapons to reach PLA’s 2027 centennial goal

https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1208192.shtml The Chinese military was urged to modernize military theories, organizations, personnel and weapons and equipment in order to reach its centennial goal by 2027 recently set by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday. It marked the first time that the country’s defense ministry explained the goal after it was unveiled in the country’s new development plan for the next five and 15 years approved at a key Party meeting in late October and a new military outline released in early this month stressed design on future warfare.

Chinese military development goal by 2027:

  • Integrated devt of mechanization, informatization and intelligentization
  • Modernized theories, organizations, personnel and weapons and equipment
  • Quality and effectiveness
  • In tandem with economic devt


China discovers world’s smallest dragonfly in Sichuan

China discovers world's smallest dragonfly - ảnh 1
Nannophya pygmaea, commonly known as scarlet dwarf, with the smallest adult specimen having a body length of about 15 mm.
There are approximately 5,000 dragonfly species in the world. China is home to more than 990 species, more than any other country. 

Giant panda birth in Japan

The giant panda Liang Bang’s birth to her baby cub in Japan marked the first time the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has cooperated with overseas zoos online to help pandas give birth.

A new bishop ordained in Qingdao

Msgr Thomas Chen Tianhao, 58, is the new bishop of Qingdao (Shandong).

A new bishop was ordained in a Catholic cathedral in Qingdao, Shandong on Mon, marking the first bishop consecration being publicly reported after China and Vatican announced the renewal of their agreement on bishop appointments.