Chinese scientists have identified more than 40 chemical elements in lunar soil samples brought to Earth late last year by the Chang'e-5 mission.

According to experts, this discovery serves as an important benchmark for understanding how the formation and evolution of the moon took place, and will also contribute to the optimal development of lunar resources in the future, the Chinese newspaper Global Ttimes reported.

Experts note that since lunar soil is extremely valuable, non-destructive technologies for examining samples can greatly increase the efficiency of its use. In particular, neutron activation analysis, which has a high degree of accuracy, makes it possible not only to determine which elements are contained in the lunar regolith without disturbing the morphology of the samples under study, but also to reveal the typical concentration of these elements.

The study of lunar samples is currently also focused on the search for water and helium-3, an isotope of helium, which is considered a very promising future fuel for nuclear fusion. It is very scarce on Earth, but it is found in abundance on the Moon, which, perhaps, will also be of no small importance for the economy of the future.