Rare lunar sample arrives in UK for study and could reveal whether our Moon formed from an Earth collision

Rare lunar sample arrives in UK for study and could reveal whether our Moon formed from an Earth collision

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Published: May 9, 2025 at 9:25 am

Samples of rock and dust from the Moon have arrived in the UK, where they will be studied by scientists seeking to learn more about the Moon's history.

BBC News has reported that the lunar samples – the first returned to Earth in five decades – have been secured at a facility in Milton Keynes, ready for analysis.

The samples were gathered by a Chinese space mission, Chang’e 5, which returned them in December 2020.

Photo showing the surface off the Moon captured by the Chang'e 5 lander, 1 December 2020. Photo by China National Space Administrat/AFP via Getty Images
Photo showing the surface of the Moon captured by the Chang'e 5 lander, 1 December 2020. Photo by China National Space Administrat/AFP via Getty Images

Professor Mahesh Anand of the Open University is the first UK scientist to receive samples from the mission.

He told the BBC the Moon samples are "more precious than gold dust."

"Nobody in the world had access to China's samples, so this is a great honour and a huge privilege," Professor Anand told BBC News.

Professor Mahesh Anand is one of few scientists to receive Moon samples from the Chinese Chang'e 5 mission. Credit: Open University
Professor Mahesh Anand is one of few scientists to receive Moon samples from the Chinese Chang'e 5 mission. Credit: Open University

Uncovering the Moon's history

The prevailing theory of how our Moon formed is that a Mars-sized body, named Theia, collided with the early Earth.

Professor Anand and his team have been given the pristine samples from the Moon to test this theory by analysing lunar rocks and dust under laboratory conditions.

Anand applied to receive and study the Chang’e 5 samples in Dec 2023, and is one of just seven scientists around the world selected to receive them.

Earth’s Moon is thought to have formed when a Mars-like object called Theia smashed into Earth, flinging material into space that became the Moon. Credit: NASA
Earth’s Moon is thought to have formed when a Mars-like object called Theia smashed into Earth, flinging material into space that became the Moon. Credit: NASA

It's the first time lunar samples returned by a Chinese space mission have been allocated to scientists around the world.

The Chang’e-5 samples will be studied in the Open University's laboratories at its Milton Keynes campus by Professor Anand and his team.

Picture taken on 2 December 2 2020 and released on 3 December 2020 by the China National Space Administration showing the Chang'e-5 lunar probe gathering samples on the Moon. Photo by China National Space Administrat/AFP via Getty Images
Picture taken on 2 December 2 2020 and released on 3 December 2020 by the China National Space Administration showing the Chang'e-5 lunar probe gathering samples on the Moon. Photo by China National Space Administrat/AFP via Getty Images

They've been loaned to the Open University for a year, and the science team is planning on studying them to determine what chemicals are in the samples, such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and noble gases.

It's hoped the analysis will help scientists learn more about the origin of Earth's Moon, but also about the chemical history of the Earth-Moon system.

www.open.ac.uk

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