China announced April 24 that it would share lunar samples from its Chang’e 5 mission with international scientists, marking a major step in global space cooperation. The announcement came during a ceremony in Shanghai celebrating the country’s 10th Space Day.
Seven institutions from six countries ? including Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; Stony Brook University in New York; the University of Cologne in Germany; and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris in France ? were selected to receive samples. Agreements were signed at the event.
While many countries fund their researchers to study the samples, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is barred from doing so by the 2011 Wolf Amendment, which restricts bilateral cooperation with China’s space agency over national security concerns. Timothy Glotch, the only U.S. scientist to receive Chang’e 5 samples, is privately funded by Stony Brook University.
Launched in 2020, Chang’e 5 returned with 1,731 grams of lunar material ? the first moon samples collected in 44 years. China has since distributed samples to more than 100 research teams, advancing global lunar science despite geopolitical challenges.