Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Chang’e-5 return capsule holding lunar specimens.
Image credit: National Astronomical Observatories, CAS

NASA has green-lighted space agency-funded researchers to apply for access to China’s lunar samples returned to Earth via that country’s Chang’e-5 moon mission.

China has made available to several countries access to that Chang’e-5 lunar collection. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is now orchestrating the 7th round of receiving applications for access to Chang’e-5 lunar samples. This is an opportunity that is open until December 22 of this year.

Photo taking during Chang’e-5 moon surface sampling session in December 2020.
Credit: CNSA/China Central Television (CCTV)

In a communiqué from the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) the space agency has certified its intent to Congress to allow NASA-funded researchers to apply for access to the Chang’e-5 samples.

For more information on this development and its implications, go to my new Space.com story – “China’s Chang’e 5 moon samples, beyond NASA’s reach for years, are finally available to US scientists” – at:

https://www.space.com/china-moon-samples-change-5-nasa-researchers