A sample from the Chang'e-6 mission. [Photo/CCTV]

Zhejiang University has been approved to receive 400 milligrams each of lunar soil collected by China's Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6 missions, following a national review of lunar sample loan applications organized in January, authorities announced. A total of 49 proposals from 14 research institutions were approved.

The samples will be studied by a multidisciplinary team led by Academician Zhang Hongfu and Professor Xia Qunke, focusing on volatile elements inside planetary bodies. Bringing together experts in geochemistry, cosmochemistry, high-temperature and high-pressure experiments, and artificial intelligence, the team aims to investigate the distribution and evolution of volatile elements within the Moon.

Researchers said their proposal stood out for its comparative design. As Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6 samples were collected from the Moon's near and far sides, respectively, the team will analyze sulfur and chlorine contents in lunar mantle materials from both regions to reveal the overall distribution of lunar volatiles. Due to the extremely fine grain size of lunar soil, sufficient sample volume is also essential for statistically meaningful results.

The study is expected to deepen understanding of the early lunar magma ocean's evolution and the characteristics of the Moon's mantle, while providing new constraints on the long-standing asymmetry between the Moon's near and far sides in volcanic activity and geological history.

Future work will focus on reconstructing magma processes on both sides of the Moon, determining sulfur and chlorine contents in primary basaltic magmas and the lunar mantle, and testing the extent of volatile asymmetry.

A sample from the Moon. [Photo/CCTV]