Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! 中秋节快乐!

Of course, in July we marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 trip that took the first humans to the moon. USC alum Neil Armstrong's journey was recounted in the film First Man. The film earned $106 million at the global box office, 57% of that outside North America. The film, however, was not released in China and earned just $1.3 million in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Chinese language poster for First Man	New USC students visit the Neil Armstrong statue as part of a "discover our campus" scavenger hunt.

In the United States, private companies are no longer just building rockets and space vehicles, they are launching satellites and more. Los Angeles remains a vital aerospace industry hub and is home to longtime space pioneers such as Northrup Grumman and start-ups such as SpaceX.

Last year at this time we highlighted the achievements and aims of China's space program. Two weeks ago, authorities there announced that the Tianhe module for the Chinese space station had passed key tests. Because of delays in developing the next generation of Long March rockets, however, the time line for completion of the station has been pushed back from 2022 to perhaps 2024.

Tianhe space module (CCTV)

Best wishes for a great holiday!