Discussion keeps the world turning.
This is Roundtable International Moon Day, declared by the UN,
celebrates lunar exploration led by nations across the globe,
including China's groundbreaking missions to the moon's far side.
So why is the moon calling us back now?
And how will today's moonshots shape the future of science and technology and maybe even life beyond Earth?
Coming to you live from Beijing, this is Roundtable.
I'm He Yang.
For today's program, I'm joined by Steve.
Heatherly and Gao Zhenya, first on today's show.
For thousands of years, we've gazed up at the night sky,
trying to understand our only natural satellite,
the moon, from the first telescopes to the historic Apollo 11 mission,
lunar exploration has been a major milestone for humanity.
In recent decades,
China has made remarkable strides in this journey by sending probes that mapped the lunar surface,
landing rovers on the mysterious far side,
and even bringing lunar soil back to Earth for groundbreaking research.
These breakthroughs mark China as a leading force in expanding our knowledge of the moon.
It's International Moon Day, Steve, tell us how it became it is today and we'll go from there.