UK scientist given Moon samples from China mission

An academic from the Open University (OU) has been selected as the first UK scientist to carry out research on Moon samples from China's lunar exploration programme.

Prof Mahesh Anand, who is based at the OU's Milton Keynes laboratories, is to receive materials from the Chinese lunar mission, Chang'e-5, which returned Moon samples to Earth in December 2020.

He applied to conduct research on Chang'e-5 samples in Dec 2023 and is one of seven experts globally chosen to receive the material.

Prof Anand has been conducting lunar research for more than 20 years, working with colleagues at the OU to uncover the secrets of the Moon, including the presence of water on its surface.

China's robotic Chang'e-5 mission was sent to a site on the lunar nearside called Oceanus Procellarum in November 2020.

It was carefully chosen to add to the sum of knowledge gained from previous sample returns - the last of which was conducted by a Soviet probe in 1976.

The OU team at Milton Keynes plan to use the lunar materials to determine the amount and isotopic composition of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and noble gases in Chang'e-5 samples.

The results will be used to evaluate the giant-impact origin of the Moon and develop new insights into the history of volatiles such as carbon and nitrogen in the Earth-Moon system, the OU said.

This is the first time lunar samples returned by a Chinese space mission will have been allocated to international principal investigators, said the OU.

Prof Anand said being chosen was "a great honour and privilege for my team".

"This is a recognition of our world-leading lunar sample research, underpinned by long-term funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC/UKRI) and the OU's commitment towards maintaining world-class analytical laboratories," he said.

A spokesperson for the Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA), said sharing the samples was "win-win cooperation".

"The international sharing of lunar samples and joint research efforts enable scientists from around the world to study the Moon's formation and evolution, fostering collaborative exploration of the universe's mysteries," they said.

Dr James Carpenter, head of the lunar science office at the European Space Agency, said: "The Chang'e-5 lunar samples provide a unique window into the history of the Solar System, and the Open University is one of the best places in the world to unravel the scientific story that's these samples have to tell."

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