In December 2020, a module of the Chinese lunar mission landed in the Mons Rümker lunar dome complex, in the northern part of the Ocean of Storms Čchang-e 5. Here, the probe took less than 2 kilograms of samples e the return form soon delivered them to Earth. These were the first samples from the moon in nearly 50 years, and experts have been studying them intensively ever since.
China’s National Space Agency CNSA, along with the China Atomic Energy Authority and other institutions, announced in Beijing on September 9 that in the Chang-e 5 mission samples, they discovered a new mineral, called changeit- (Y). The mineral itself is not particularly interesting, it is a transparent phosphate material that forms crystals about 10 microns in size.
A rare isotope for nuclear fusion
It is interesting, however, that changeit- (Y) contains helium-3, an important isotope that can be used in nuclear fusion. If helium-3 is mixed with deuterium for a fusion reaction, helium and a proton are produced, in which case the fusion is much more manageable. The problem is that helium-3 is very rare on Earth.
TIP: Samples from the Chinese lunar probe are much younger than those from the Apollo program
Helium-3 appears to be much more common on the surface of the Moon. This makes the Moon a potentially interesting target for space miners. That said, it’s probably no coincidence that just one day after announcing the discovery of changeit- (Y), China announced plans to send three more unmanned missions to the moon over the next 10 years. China’s ultimate goal is permanent presence on the moon.
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