Chinese scientists analyzing lunar material brought back by the Chang’e-6 mission have discovered rare meteorite relics that could transform current understanding of how material moves across the Solar System.
According to Xinhua, the research—published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—was conducted by a team from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry (GIG) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The study identified fragments of CI chondrites, a type of meteorite abundant in water and organic matter and typically originating in the outer Solar System. These meteorites are extremely rare on Earth, representing less than one percent of all known meteorite finds.
Because the Moon lacks an atmosphere and plate tectonics, it preserves an undisturbed record of asteroid impacts, effectively serving as a “natural archive.” Using advanced mineral and isotope analysis, the team confirmed that the lunar soil samples contained CI-like chondritic material.
The findings indicate that the Earth-Moon system may have been struck by more carbonaceous chondrites than previously believed.
“This discovery shows that materials from the outer Solar System can reach the inner Solar System and may help explain the source of water on the lunar surface,” said Lin Mang, a researcher at GIG. “It also opens up new avenues for studying the distribution and evolution of lunar water resources.”
The study also established new methods for systematically identifying meteoritic material in extraterrestrial samples.
Chang’e-6 made history in 2024 by returning 1,935.3 grams of lunar samples from the Moon’s far side—specifically the South Pole–Aitken Basin, the largest, deepest, and oldest basin on the Moon.
