UK Receives Moon Dust Sample from China — Rarer Than Gold

The first lunar rock samples brought back to Earth in nearly 50 years have arrived in the UK, on loan from China. These moon dust grains, collected during China’s Chang’e 5 mission, are now being safeguarded in a high-security lab at the Open University in Milton Keynes. The material is extremely rare and valuable—described by scientists as more precious than gold dust.

Professor Mahesh Anand, the only UK-based scientist granted access to the Chang’e 5 moon samples, traveled to China to receive the vials in a formal handover ceremony. He returned with just 60mg of lunar dust, hand-carried in his luggage. Though the amount seems small, it holds enormous scientific value. Anand and his team aim to use this precious moon dust to investigate how the Moon formed and to understand more about the early history of Earth.

China’s Chang’e 5 mission successfully landed on Mons Rümker, a volcanic region of the Moon, in 2020. Using robotic tools, the mission collected 2 kilograms of lunar regolith and returned it to Earth—the first successful lunar sample return since the Soviet Luna 24 mission in 1976. This achievement marked China’s emergence as a key player in the renewed global space race.

Now, for the first time, China is sharing its lunar samples with international researchers. Professor Anand is one of only seven scientists worldwide selected to study them. In his lab, extreme care is taken to avoid contaminating the samples. Researchers wear gloves, gowns, and hair coverings, and the lab is kept spotless. Even a trace of Earth-based material could compromise the integrity of the analysis.

Each sealed vial contains only a small dusting of grey lunar soil, but this material could help confirm the leading theory that the Moon was formed from debris after a massive collision between Earth and a Mars-sized object 4.5 billion years ago. Advanced instruments, including custom-built machines like FINESSE, will heat the dust to over 1,400°C to extract gases such as carbon and nitrogen. Other tests will determine oxygen content and mineral composition using high-powered lasers and microanalysis techniques.

The team, including technicians Kay Knight and James Malley, face intense pressure—every grain is irreplaceable. Once testing begins, much of the sample will be destroyed in the process, which makes precision critical. Despite the challenges, the researchers say they are thrilled to be part of a moment that could reshape what we know about the Moon and the early Solar System.

China has already gone further with its lunar ambitions. In 2024, the Chang’e 6 mission returned with samples from the Moon’s far side—a region never previously explored in this way. These samples may contain evidence of ancient volcanic activity and offer even deeper insights into the Moon’s geological history.

Professor Anand hopes this exchange marks the start of a long-term scientific partnership between China and other nations. For researchers who built their careers studying Apollo-era lunar material, the arrival of new samples opens a new chapter in space science and international collaboration.