The China National Space Administration (CNSA) and China Atomic Energy Administration (CAEA) jointly announced on September 9 that researchers studying samples returned from the moon by China’s Chang’e-5 mission have discovered a new lunar mineral. This is the first Chinese new mineral discovered on the moon and the sixth ever by mankind. According to Dong Baotong, deputy director of CAEA, the latest discovery makes China the third country in the world to discover a completely new mineral on the moon.
The newly discovered mineral Changesite-(Y) is a clear, colorless columnar crystal. A research team from the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology (BRIUG), a subsidiary of CNSA, made the discovery after examining fragments of lunar basalt collected by the mission. the study team discovered signs of the new mineral when it received the first 50 milligrams of lunar samples in July 2021 to conduct a mineralogical survey. However, due to the microscopic particles of the lunar soil, they could not get the necessary information to identify the mineral.
Using state-of-the-art techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scientists at the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology were finally able to separate a single crystal particle with a radius of approximately 10 microns from the 140,000 particles of the lunar sample to decipher its crystal structure. According to Li Ziying, team leader of the BRIUG research team, the discovery is significant for the study of lunar materials, lunar evolution and deep space exploration. The Chang’e 5 lunar probe landed on the moon less than two years ago, in December 2020.
The Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association has formally recognized Changesite-(Y) as a new mineral. This comes months after it was revealed that Chang’e 5 returned with moon rocks that could fill critical gaps in the history of the Solar System.
In 2021, China’s Chang’e 5 spacecraft returned with 3.81 pounds (1.73 kilograms) of moon rocks, two tiny pieces of which were about 1.97 billion years old—at least a billion years younger than the moon rocks brought home Apollo. a few years ago. China’s discoveries and successes on the moon are fueling a geopolitical rivalry in space, with China competing with the US to challenge its hegemony. Analysts have gone so far as to predict that the success of China’s unmanned lunar mission could be a harbinger of more advanced missions including manned ones and the construction of lunar bases.
China’s lunar aspirations
In 2020, the Chang’e 5 lunar probe landed on the moon, a major achievement for China’s space program. The objective of the mission was to retrieve two kilograms of samples from the northern region of the moon, Mons Rümker, and return them to Earth. China will lead the development of a compact communication and navigation system with lunar transmission. The initiation of the small constellation could occur in 2023 or 2024. It also called on international partners to join its efforts.
In addition to the multi-probe lunar probe, which is deployed in several missions, China is also trying to build a lunar base with Russia to attack its rivals led by the United States. According to the roadmap, divided into three phases, five facilities and nine modules are planned for the station to support long and short missions to the lunar surface and into orbit. The construction of the station should be completed by 2035. The United States, for its part, is poised to return with a manned mission to the moon with the Artemis I launch rescheduled for later this month. However, China’s continued pursuit threatens America’s long-established lunar program.
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