China discovers unknown mineral on the moon, could be a new source of energy

2022-09-13 19:55:20Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
China discovers unknown mineral on the moon, could be a new source of energy
Monday

Space race between terrestrial rivals with a new development

China plans to launch three unmanned missions to the moon after discovering a new lunar mineral that could be a future energy source.

The space race between China and the US is accelerating after Beijing's National Space Administration gave permission to launch three missions to the moon over the next 10 years.

The news comes a day after China became the third country to discover a new lunar mineral, which it named Changesite-(Y), the Global Times reports.

China discovers unknown mineral on the moon, could be a new source of energy

China's Chang'e-5 mission took samples from the moon in 2020 and the Global Times described it as a "columnar crystal phosphate mineral" found in lunar rock particles. The mineral contains helium-3, which could be a future energy source.

China discovers unknown mineral on the moon, could be a new source of energy

Mining on the moon could be the next point of tension between the countries as NASA is also exploring the south pole of the moon where China plans to build a research station in cooperation with Russia, reports Business Insider.

The US is still the only country to have sent astronauts to the moon, and the last time it landed was almost 50 years ago on the Apollo 17 mission.



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