On July 12, the National Space Administration’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center held the first batch of lunar scientific research samples for the Chang’e-5 mission in Beijing, marking the official launch of lunar sample scientific research.

The first batch of lunar scientific research samples were issued to 31 applications from 13 scientific research institutions. The approved research applications cover the lunar surface process, the age of volcanic activity, the lunar evolution process, minerals and volatile components.

The Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, were among the 13 institutions in the country that were the first to be approved to bring back lunar samples on July 12.

In the future, the National Space Administration will continue to release new scientific research samples based on the sample processing progress of the ground application system; the preliminary plan is to arrange the next lunar scientific research sample loan application review in September 2021.

Source: Hello Jiangsu

Photograph：Jiangsu News； Zhongshan Mountain National Park