OnePlus is preparing to announce its latest launch event, where we're expecting to see the unveiling of the OnePlus 9 series and the OnePlus Watch.

The teasing has already started, with the company sending out invites for an 8 March event. It's thought that OnePlus is going to be announcing the date of the launch event on 8 March.

Enclosed in a red box, the invite repeats the messaging we spotted previously on OnePlus' India site, talking about the 8 March event, with an image of the Earth, viewed from the Moon.

Decoding the OnePlus invite: What does it tell us about the OnePlus 9? photo 2

The invite gives it a little more context, including some of the lunar surface. It's not just a pretty picture, it's a photo taken by Apollo 11 on 20 July 1969, showing the Earth rising above the Moon's horizon.

OnePlus continues the space theme with Cosmik ice cream, freeze-dried ice cream, although we think this is just a nice sweet treat for those receiving these invites.

"Something new is on the horizon" tells us there's something coming; on the rear of the invite there's a little more text reading: "Hello friend. You probably weren't expecting space ice cream were you? Just a little something to hold you over until March 8."

The QR code at the bottom points to the Moonshot page we'd spotted previously, inviting you to sign up to join OnePlus' mailing list.

nasa photo 1

Returning to the Apollo 11 image: according to NASA's details, the photo was taken before separation of the landing module and the command module. We know it was snapped with a 250mm lens.

We believe that 250mm lens was a Zeiss lens, attached to a Hasselblad still camera. The Apollo 11 crew used a number of Hasselblad cameras, famously, during the lunar landing in 1969.

What does that have to do with OnePlus? A rumour recently surfaced that OnePlus was going to be working with Hasselblad on the OnePlus 9. An image showing an unreleased phone with Hasselblad wording surfaced online - which could explain the connection between OnePlus and the Moon.

nasa photo 2

Of course, we've seen Zeiss lenses on phones before too - Sony Mobile, Nokia and more recently Vivo have all worked with Zeiss.

Indeed, the 250mm could be significant - that might be the equivalent focal length of a zoom camera on the rear of the OnePlus 9 Pro, although we suspect that might be too much of a fortunate coincidence.

Using the term "moonshot" on the teaser page certainly invokes feelings of ambition, although the term "moonshot" is often linked with reaching beyond what's possible and can also have connotations of inevitable failure - something that OnePlus probably doesn't want to convey.

There have been plenty of leaks for the new devices. We've been keeping track of the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro right here, we've been looking at rumours for a cheaper device known as the OnePlus 9R, while we're also expecting the OnePlus Watch.

We'll bring you confirmation of OnePlus' plans on 8 March.