A man and a child observe a model of satellite constellations on display, featuring orbiting spacecraft encircling a miniature Earth, at the China Space Museum in Beijing, China, on April 24, as the day marks the 11th China Space Day, which this year coincides with the 70th anniversary of China"s space program. Photo: Li Hao/GT

　　Friday marks China"s 11th Space Day, shining a light on a string of remarkable new achievements in the country"s aerospace sector, including new findings from Chang"e-5 lunar samples, the launch schedule for the Tianwen-3 planetary exploration mission, and international cooperation on the Xihe-2 solar observation mission. A Chinese expert said that China"s space industry is advancing at an impressive pace, and through inclusive, equal cooperation, China embraces openness to share space achievements to benefit more countries across the globe.

　　One of the major achievements announced at the opening ceremony of the 11th China Space Day was that Chinese scientists have identified two previously unknown lunar minerals from the 1,731 grams of moon samples returned by the Chang"e-5 mission, marking another breakthrough in deep-space research. The two newly discovered minerals have been officially approved and classified by the International Mineralogical Association. They have been named magnesiochangesite-(Y) and changesite-(Ce).

　　This marks the second and third lunar minerals discovered by Chinese scientists, following the first discovery of changesite-(Y) in 2022. Globally, they are the seventh and eighth new lunar minerals identified in returned lunar samples.