Discovery of Water in Lunar Soil by Chinese Moon Missions

Chinese scientists have made groundbreaking discoveries that challenge prior assumptions about the lack of water on the Moon. Using samples collected by the Chang’e 5 mission in 2020, they revealed minerals enriched with water, reframing our understanding of lunar surface conditions and prospects for future space endeavors.

Initial beliefs, supported by U.S. Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s, posited the Moon as a mostly dry entity. However, newer analyses made by China's Chang’e 5 have upended these views. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences detected hydrated molecules—specifically, a mineral containing more than 40% water by mass—in both lunar soil and rock samples. The complex hydrated mineral, found in lunar rocks brought back to Earth, also contained ammonia, a vital component for rocket fuel.

Published in the journal "Nature Astronomy", these findings strengthen the notion that water molecules exist as hydrated salts in sunlit areas of the Moon. This is particularly intriguing given the mineral formation in high-latitude regions, previously uncharted in lunar missions.

Additionally, similar signs of water molecules were detected on the Moon as early as 2009 by India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission. NASA further confirmed the presence of water in sunlit areas in 2020, following China’s initial discoveries with the Chang’e-5 probe providing the first on-site confirmations.

These revelations are significant in a contemporary space race, often described by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, emphasizing strategic competition between the U.S. and China in lunar exploration. There are concerns that leading discoveries might be leveraged to claim territorial or extractive rights, particularly in the lunar poles where more water is expected.

China, intensifying its space program, aims to send crewed missions to the Moon by 2030 and progress towards establishing a lunar base utilizing native resources. Notably, these studies provide promising insights not just for space extraction but also for a deeper understanding of lunar history and volcanic activity, marking a pivotal period for space science and international astronomy.

China’s Chang’e missions, including recent and anticipated projects like the Chang’e 6, have propelled advancements in lunar research, potentially shaping the future of extraterrestrial resource utilization and base construction, thereby setting a new frontier in interplanetary studies.

Earlier, SSP wrote about the exploration of the effects of stellar magnetism on exoplanet habitability.