China's Scientists Discover New Mineral In Lunar Soil, Name It Chang'e Stone - Beijing

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th September, 2022) Chinese scientists have found a new mineral in the lunar soil that had been brought to the Earth by the Chang'e 5 lunar mission in 2020 and named it Chang'e Stone, China Atomic Energy Authority Vice Chairman Dong Baotong said on Friday.

"The new mineral discovered by a group of Chinese scientists exploring the natural satellite of the Earth was named Chang'e Stone in accordance with the decision of the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA)," Baotong told a briefing.

The vice chairman added that this discovery is a major scientific achievement of China in the field of space research.

China's Chang'e 5 lunar mission was launched on November 24, 2020. The mission landed on the near side of the Moon on December 1, collected samples during the next two days, and headed back to Earth, landing in China's Inner Mongolia region on December 16. Chinese scientists have since been working with lunar soil and rock samples collected by Chang'e 5.

China became the third country in history after the United States and the Soviet Union to successfully perform a lunar lander-return mission. China is seeking to construct a prototype of a scientific research station on the Moon by 2030 and planning to carry out lunar scientific research during the upcoming Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7, and Chang'e-8 missions.