"Chinese Scientists Advocate Prioritizing Asteroid Missions"

Chinese scientists are advocating for an intensified focus on asteroid research and sample return missions, emphasizing the potential for new understanding of the solar system's early stages, origins of life, space resource assessment, and planetary defense strategies. China is set to launch its first asteroid sample return mission in 2025 and is urged to strengthen international cooperation, coordinate missions, and quickly organize the assessment of key scientific questions related to asteroids. This strategic focus could have significant ramifications for international space exploration activities, global cooperation, strategic competition, space law and governance, and scientific research possibilities.