Chang'e-6 lunar samples have "distinct characteristics": study

Researchers prepare to weigh Chang'e-6 lunar samples during a returner opening ceremony at the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in Beijing, capital of China, June 26, 2024. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese team of scientists on Tuesday published the first research paper on the lunar samples brought back by the Chang'e-6 mission, saying that the Chang'e-6 samples exhibit "distinct characteristics" compared to previously obtained lunar samples.

The study was carried out jointly by members from the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, and the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering. The research paper was published in the National Science Review journal on the day of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival.

The team found that the Chang'e-6 soil samples have a lower density than previous samples, indicating a more porous and loosely structured composition. The plagioclase content of the Chang'e-6 samples is significantly higher than that of the Chang'e-5 samples, while their olivine content is significantly lower.

The study has also revealed that the Chang'e-6 lithic fragment samples are primarily composed of basalt, breccia, agglutinate, glasses and leucocrate.

Geochemical analysis of the Chang'e-6 lunar samples has shown that their concentration of trace elements such as thorium, uranium and potassium is markedly different from the samples retrieved by the Apollo missions and the Chang'e-5 mission.

The Chang'e-6 probe was launched from China on May 3, 2024. On June 25, its returner made a landing in north China, bringing back 1,935.3 grams of samples from the far side of the moon.