China and Germany have built a resilient scientific bridge in space exploration over the last five years, moving from simple data exchange to the shared development of hardware and the physical study of extraterrestrial materials. These efforts provide critical tech components for deep-space navigation and high-energy physics.

Precision on the far side of the moon

In 2024, the Chang'e-6 mission achieved a historic milestone by returning the first-ever samples from the lunar far side. Tucked onto the lander's top panel was a small but vital piece of German-led engineering – the Instrument for Landing-Roving Laser Retroreflector Investigations (INRRI). The device – a specialized laser reflector – acts as a permanent, passive mirror on the lunar surface.

By bouncing laser beams off this reflector, scientists can measure the distance between orbiting spacecraft and the lunar surface with millimeter-level accuracy. This provides a "golden coordinate" on the far side, which is notoriously difficult to map because it never faces the Earth.

The project, involving collaboration between the Chinese and German engineers, ensures that future missions have a reliable reference point for high-precision landings and tracking.

Hunting black holes

While some projects look down at the lunar soil, others look deep into the cosmos. Launched in early 2024, the Einstein Probe is a satellite designed to catch transient events – sudden, violent flashes of X-rays from black holes or exploding stars.

A central piece of this mission is the Follow-up X-ray Telescope (FXT), which was developed with heavy involvement from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Germany.

The MPE contributed advanced X-ray mirror assemblies, allowing the satellite to zoom in on faint X-ray sources with incredible clarity. By combining German optics with Chinese wide-field sensors, the mission has already begun identifying rare binary star systems and distant cosmic explosions that occurred when the universe was only 10 percent of its current age.

Shared samples and the future of lunar bases

Beyond hardware, the two countries' cooperation has entered the realm of physical geology. In 2025, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) officially began loaning lunar soil and rock samples from the Chang'e-5 mission to international researchers. The University of Cologne was among the few global institutions selected to receive these rare materials.

German cosmochemists are currently analyzing these samples – estimated to be about 2 billion years old – to understand the thermal evolution of the moon. These samples are significantly younger than the rocks brought back by the U.S. Apollo missions, filling a massive gap in our timeline of lunar history.

Looking forward, this partnership is shifting toward long-term infrastructure. German research institutions have been invited to participate in the planning and concept demonstration phases of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). This ambitious project aims to build a permanent base on the moon by the mid-2030s. By involving German researchers in the early planning of the ILRS, the project gains a level of technical rigor that is essential for a permanent human presence on the moon.