Remember That Weird ‘Cube’ on The Moon? Yutu-2 Finally Took Closer Pictures

China’s mysterious “Moon cube” is a mystery no longer. The big reveal: It’s a rock that’s not even shaped like a cube. The nation’s Yutu-2 rover discovered the object – which appeared to be a gray cube looming on the lunar horizon – in early December. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) dubbed it ‘mysterious hut’, playfully … Read more

China has moon’s south pole in its sights with 3 missions launching this decade

China has formally approved three missions targeting the south pole of the moon, with the first to launch around 2024. The missions dubbed Chang’e 6, Chang’e 7 and Chang’e 8 will launch across the 2020s, each with different goals and an array of spacecraft. The trio make up the so-called fourth phase for the Chinese … Read more

2022 news preview: China to host crucial meeting in a bid to save nature

By Adam Vaughan Shane Gross/naturepl.com AS THE world examines the outcome of the COP26 climate summit, spare a thought for conservationists trying to protect the planet’s natural riches. A landmark UN biodiversity summit has been postponed three times because of the pandemic and now won’t be held in person in China until April, after a … Read more

China Accuses US of Unsafe Space Conduct After Near-Miss With Elon Musk’s Starlink

Beijing on Tuesday accused the United States of irresponsible and unsafe conduct in space over two “close encounters” between the Chinese space station and satellites operated by Elon Musk‘s SpaceX.   Tiangong, China’s new space station, had to maneuver to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and with another in October, according to … Read more

What the Charles Lieber verdict says about U.S. China Initiative | Science

Last week, Harvard University chemist Charles Lieber became the first academic scientist targeted by the U.S. government’s controversial 3-year-old China Initiative to be found guilty by a jury. He may also be one of the last, says Andrew Lelling, the former U.S. attorney who charged Lieber nearly 2 years ago with lying about his research … Read more

China launches mineral survey and science outreach satellites

China launched the Ziyuan 1 (02E) Earth resources observation satellite and a small amateur radio satellite on Saturday, marking the country’s 53rd orbital launch of the year. The China National Space Administration mission’s Long March 4C rocket lifted off from Taiyuan, north China, at 10:11 p.m. Dec. 25 (0311 GMT, 11:11 a.m. local time Dec. … Read more

Biodiversity: China summit leadership is lacking, says UK economist

China is set to host a major biodiversity summit in 2022, but leading economist Partha Dasgupta says it is unclear what the country wants to achieve Environment 24 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan Partha Dasgupta The author of a major UK government biodiversity report says he sees no sign that China is showing serious leadership … Read more

Harvard chemist convicted by U.S. jury of lying about financial links to China | Science

A jury in Boston today found Harvard University chemistry professor Charles Lieber guilty of lying to federal agencies about his research ties to a Chinese university. The unanimous verdict came barely 3 hours after closing arguments in the case, part of the U.S. government’s 3-year-old China Initiative that has targeted some 2 dozen academic scientists … Read more