Editing China (section)

===== Space program =====
{{Main|Chinese space program}}
[[File:Launch of Shenzhou 13.jpg|thumb|upright|Launch of [[Shenzhou 13]] by a [[Long March 2F]] rocket. China is one of the only three countries with independent [[human spaceflight]] capability.]]
The Chinese space program started in 1958 with some technology transfers from the Soviet Union. However, it did not launch the nation's first satellite until 1970 with the [[Dong Fang Hong I]], which made China the fifth country to do so independently.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Long |first=Wei |date=25 April 2000 |title=China Celebrates 30th Anniversary of First Satellite Launch |url=http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-00u.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515110247/http%3A//www.spacedaily.com/news/china%2D00u.html |archive-date=15 May 2016 |publisher=Space daily}}</ref>

In 2003, China became the third country in the world to independently send humans into space with [[Yang Liwei]]'s spaceflight aboard [[Shenzhou 5]]. As of 2023, [[List of Chinese astronauts|eighteen Chinese nationals]] have journeyed into space, including two women. In 2011, China launched its first space station testbed, [[Tiangong-1]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Amos |first=Jonathan |date=29 September 2011 |title=Rocket launches Chinese space lab |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15112760 |access-date=20 May 2012 |publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> In 2013, a Chinese robotic rover ''[[Yutu (rover)|Yutu]]'' successfully touched down on the lunar surface as part of the [[Chang'e 3]] mission.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rincon |first=Paul |date=14 December 2013 |title=China lands Jade Rabbit robot rover on Moon |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-25356603 |access-date=26 July 2014 |publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

In 2019, China became the first country to land a probe—[[Chang'e 4]]—on the [[far side of the Moon]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lyons |first=Kate |title=Chang'e 4 landing: China probe makes historic touchdown on far side of the moon |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jan/03/china-probe-change-4-land-far-side-moon-basin-crater |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103043232/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jan/03/china-probe-change-4-land-far-side-moon-basin-crater |archive-date=3 January 2019 |access-date=3 January 2019 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> In 2020, [[Chang'e 5]] successfully returned Moon samples to the Earth, making China the third country to do so independently.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 December 2020 |title=Moon rock samples brought to Earth for first time in 44 years |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/Spacebound/2020/1217/Moon-rock-samples-brought-to-Earth-for-first-time-in-44-years |access-date=23 February 2021 |work=The Christian Science Monitor}}</ref> In 2021, China became the third country to land a spacecraft on Mars and the second one to deploy a [[Zhurong (rover)|rover (''Zhurong'')]] on Mars.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 May 2021 |title=China succeeds on country's first Mars landing attempt with Tianwen-1 |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/05/china-first-mars-landing-attempt-tianwen-1 |access-date=15 May 2021 |website=NASASpaceFlight.com}}</ref> China completed its own modular [[space station]], the [[Tiangong space station|Tiangong]], in [[low Earth orbit]] on 3 November 2022.<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1587984835808665600 |user=CNSpaceflight |title=Official completion time of #Mengtian relocation is 01:32UTC |author=China 'N Asia Spaceflight |date=3 November 2022 |access-date=3 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Skibba |first=Ramin |title=China Is Now a Major Space Power |url=https://www.wired.com/story/china-is-now-a-major-space-power-tiangong-space-station/ |access-date=4 November 2022 |magazine=Wired}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Celestial second fiddle no more, China completes its space station |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/05/china-space-station-tiangong/ |access-date=24 November 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> On 29 November 2022, China performed its first in-orbit crew handover aboard the ''Tiangong''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese astronauts meet in space for historic crew handover |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/11/29/chinese-astronauts-meet-in-space-for-historic-crew-handover |access-date=16 December 2022 |publisher=Spaceflight Now}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Woo |first1=Ryan |last2=Liangping |first2=Gao |date=30 November 2022 |title=Chinese astronauts board space station in historic mission |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/china-launches-crewed-spacecraft-chinese-space-station-state-television-2022-11-29/#:~:text=Shenzhou%2D15%20was%20the%20last,was%20launched%20in%20April%202021. |access-date=16 December 2022 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

In May 2023, China announced a plan to [[Moon landing|land humans on the Moon]] by 2030.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wang |first=Vivian |date=29 May 2023 |title=China Announces Plan to Land Astronauts on Moon by 2030 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/29/world/asia/china-space-moon-2030.html |work=The New York Times}}</ref> To that end, China has been developing a lunar-capable super-heavy launcher, the [[Long March 10]], a new [[next-generation crewed spacecraft|crewed spacecraft]], and a [[Chinese crewed lunar lander|crewed lunar lander]].<ref name="AJ-06Mar2022">{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Andrew |date=6 March 2022 |title=China wants its new rocket for astronaut launches to be reusable |url=https://www.space.com/china-reusable-rockets-for-astronaut-launches |access-date=5 October 2023 |website=[[Space.com]]}}</ref><ref name="AJ17072023">{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Andrew |date=17 July 2023 |title=China sets out preliminary crewed lunar landing plan |url=https://spacenews.com/china-sets-out-preliminary-crewed-lunar-landing-plan |access-date=24 July 2023 |work=spacenews.com}}</ref>

China sent [[Chang'e 6]] on 3 May 2024, which conducted the first lunar sample return from [[Apollo (crater)|Apollo Basin]] on the [[far side of the Moon]].<ref name="AJ_FI-20230425">{{Cite tweet |number=1650832520978526208 |user=AJ_FI |title=China's Chang'e-6 sample return mission (a first ever lunar far side sample-return) is scheduled to launch in May 2024, and expected to take 53 days from launch to return module touchdown. Targeting southern area of Apollo basin (~43º S, 154º W) |first=Andrew |last=Jones |date=25 April 2023}}</ref> This is China's second lunar sample return mission, the first was achieved by [[Chang'e 5]] from the lunar near side 4 years ago.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Andrew |date=10 January 2024 |title=China's Chang'e-6 probe arrives at spaceport for first-ever lunar far side sample mission |url=https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-6-probe-arrives-at-spaceport-for-first-ever-lunar-far-side-sample-mission |access-date=10 January 2024 |website=[[SpaceNews]]}}</ref> It also carried a Chinese rover called ''Jinchan'' to conduct [[Absorption spectroscopy|infrared spectroscopy]] of lunar surface and imaged Chang'e 6 lander on lunar surface.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Andrew |date=6 May 2024 |title=China's Chang'e-6 is carrying a surprise rover to the moon |url=https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-6-is-carrying-a-surprise-rover-to-the-moon |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508193233/https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-6-is-carrying-a-surprise-rover-to-the-moon |archive-date=8 May 2024 |access-date=8 May 2024 |website=SpaceNews}}</ref> The lander-ascender-rover combination was separated with the orbiter and returner before landing on 1 June 2024, at 22:23 UTC. It landed on the Moon's surface on 1 June 2024.<ref name="AJ_FI-20240601">{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Andrew |date=1 June 2024 |title=Chang'e-6 lands on far side of the moon to collect unique lunar samples |url=https://spacenews.com/change-6-lands-on-far-side-of-the-moon-to-collect-unique-lunar-samples |access-date=1 June 2024 |website=[[SpaceNews]]}}</ref><ref name="segeryu240602">{{Cite tweet |number=1797042217804337307 |user=SegerYu |title=落月时刻 2024-06-02 06:23:15.861 |first=Seger |last=Yu |language=zh}}</ref> The ascender was launched back to lunar orbit on 3 June 2024, at 23:38 UTC, carrying samples collected by the lander, which later completed another robotic rendezvous, before docking in lunar orbit. The sample container was then transferred to the returner, which landed on [[Inner Mongolia]] in June 2024, completing China's far side extraterrestrial sample return mission.