{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1925499,
        "msgid": "back-and-forth-to-the-moon-china-now-possesses-information-the-us-does-not-have-1787017880",
        "date": "2026-08-18 07:45:00",
        "title": "Back and Forth to the Moon, China Now Possesses Information the US Does Not Have",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Technology",
        "summary": "China has published a new 1:5 million scale geological map of the entire lunar surface, updating its 2024 version with data from the Chang'e-5 mission. The map identifies over 13,500 impact craters and 81 basins, and revises the age boundaries of three ancient lunar geological periods. Chinese researchers say the map and lunar samples provide a new starting point for scientific discussion of the Moon's far side and establish an independent intellectual property framework for China's space exploration.",
        "content": "<p>China has produced the latest geological map of the entire lunar\nsurface. The map was made at a scale of 1:5 million and is a new version\nof the 2024 map. \u201cThe geological history of the Moon has been rewritten,\nor more precisely refined and systematised,\u201d said Yang Zhiming, Director\nof the China Academy of Geological Sciences (IGCAGS). The map measures\n2.8 by 1.2 metres. More than 13,500 impact craters and 81 basins were\nidentified by researchers in the map. One of the features shown is an\nupdate to the age boundaries of three ancient lunar geological periods,\nnamely the Aitkenian, Nectarian, and Imbrian. The map also uses data\ncollected from Chang\u2019e-5. Samples brought back by Chang\u2019e-5 confirmed\nthe existence of volcanic activity on the Moon 2 billion years ago. This\nfinding extends the geological time range by up to 1 billion years. The\nmap also shows the far side of the Moon, including its volcanic history.\n\u201cThe lunar samples and the map will provide a new starting point for\nscientific discussion regarding the far side of the Moon,\u201d said Jin\nMing, an associate researcher at IGCAGS. The latest lunar map also uses\nan exclusive cartographic standard. In addition, there is a colour\nscheme linked to traditional Chinese geology and aesthetics. Going\nforward, the same standard will be applied to geological mapping for\nother objects such as Mars and asteroids. In this way, China can leave\nbehind dependence on systems previously owned by foreign parties. \u201cThis\nstandard will be extended to future planetary geological mapping, an\nindependent intellectual property framework for space exploration in\nChina,\u201d Yang explained.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/back-and-forth-to-the-moon-china-now-possesses-information-the-us-does-not-have-1787017880",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}