Chinese scientists have made a big discovery that could help future astronauts live on the Moon by creating water from lunar soil. Their groundbreaking method was published in a scientific journal and is getting a lot of attention because it might solve one of the biggest challenges of setting up long-term bases on the Moon: the lack of water.
The Moon doesn’t have natural sources of water like Earth does. While some past missions have found ice at the Moon’s poles and in dark craters, most of the Moon’s surface is very dry. The amount of water in lunar minerals is shockingly low—so low that it’s almost impossible to extract. But without water, it’s hard to imagine astronauts living and working there for long periods.
That’s where this new method comes in. Chinese researchers, working with soil samples collected by the Chang’e-5 mission, discovered that water can be produced from lunar soil through a unique chemical reaction. Here’s how it works: the Moon’s soil, also called regolith, has been blasted by solar wind for billions of years. This solar wind has filled the soil with a surprising amount of hydrogen.
When the soil is heated to extremely high temperatures—over 1,000 degrees Celsius—the hydrogen reacts with iron oxides (rust-like materials) in the soil. This reaction creates iron and releases water in the form of vapor. Incredibly, they found that just 1 gram of lunar soil could produce 51-76 milligrams of water. This means that one tonne of lunar soil could create over 50 kilograms of water, which is enough to provide drinking water for about 50 people in a day!
The research also showed that not all lunar minerals are the same when it comes to producing water. The scientists found that ilmenite, a type of mineral on the Moon that contains iron and titanium, holds the most hydrogen from the solar wind. This makes ilmenite especially good for producing water when heated.
They also made another exciting discovery: by studying the atomic structure of lunar ilmenite, they realized that its atoms are spaced farther apart than ilmenite on Earth. This is because the solar wind has implanted so much hydrogen into the Moon’s soil. These tiny gaps in the mineral can store lots of hydrogen, which helps explain how water can form when it’s heated.
Even better, the researchers found a way to make this process work at lower temperatures. While the reaction normally requires over 1,000 degrees Celsius, they discovered that water could still form at just 200 degrees Celsius. This could make it easier to produce water on the Moon with less energy.
What makes this discovery even more interesting is that it may explain why there’s more hydrogen in certain parts of the Moon. The areas near the Moon’s equator get hit the hardest by the solar wind, which causes more hydrogen to turn into water vapor and escape. Meanwhile, areas closer to the poles are less affected by the solar wind and hold onto more hydrogen. This might be why there’s more ice at the poles.
This new method of producing water from lunar soil could be a game-changer for space exploration. Instead of relying on costly water deliveries from Earth, astronauts could use the Moon’s resources to survive. It’s a big step toward establishing bases on the Moon and could even pave the way for deeper space missions in the future.
The Chang’e-5 mission, which returned to Earth in December 2020, brought back 1,731 grams of lunar soil and rocks. These samples have been key to unlocking new secrets about the Moon and could help humanity take its next giant leap—staying on the Moon for good!
