Hong Kong PolyU to investigate the presence of water in lunar soil, aiding future lunar base construction

On June 25, at 14:07, the return capsule of the Chang'e-6 safely landed in the designated area of Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia, achieving the first-ever successful sample return mission from the far side of the moon in human history.

As a frequent participant in national space exploration programs, researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) collaborated with the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) to develop the "Surface Sampling Implementation Device," which enabled Chang'e-6 to bring back the world's first sample from the lunar far side. Recently, PolyU's research team, approved by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), successfully obtained lunar soil samples collected by Chang'e-5.

PolyU's research team will embark on a mission to investigate the presence of water in lunar soil, while studying the microstructure of agglutinate fragments in the lunar soil, the water content within these fragments, and their sources. This research will provide crucial insights for future studies on the formation of lunar soil and the surfaces of other airless bodies, as well as for analyzing the water resources generated by solar wind implantation.

Wu Bo, deputy director of PolyU's Deep Space Exploration Research Center, stated that future missions, Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8, will focus on establishing a prototype lunar research station on the moon. Solving the issue of locating and utilizing lunar water resources will be a critical step in enabling the establishment of this research station.

The study of finding water in lunar soil will pave the way for the exploration and utilization of lunar water resources, including sourcing water for researchers at the lunar research station. Additionally, the "water" in lunar soil could be used as a fuel source, allowing for the launch of rockets directly from a lunar base.