China discovers rare moon crystal containing potential fuel for future fusion energy
nuclear fusion
,
helium-3
, a substance long theorized as the fuel that could one day power Earth.
The crystal, Changesite-(Y), was extracted from lunar rock samples gathered during China's
Chang'e-5 mission
in 2020. Found in the Moon's Oceanus Procellarum, a vast volcanic plain, the mineral was officially classified by the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, a division of China National Nuclear Corporation.
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It is only the sixth new mineral ever discovered on the Moon, and China now joins the United States and the former Soviet Union as the only nations to achieve this feat.
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But it's not the crystal's rarity that has scientists most excited, it's what it might represent, a clean, safe, and potentially unlimited energy source for humanity.
What is Helium-3?
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Buried inside the microscopic Changesite-(Y) is helium-3, a non-radioactive isotope that could fuel nuclear fusion reactors, if such reactors can be built successfully on Earth.
Fusion is often described as the 'holy grail' of energy production. Unlike nuclear fission, which splits atoms and creates radioactive waste, fusion merges atoms under intense pressure and temperature, mimicking the processes at the core of the Sun. It releases enormous energy with little to no harmful byproducts.
Helium-3 is extremely rare on Earth but appears to be far more abundant on the Moon. Its potential as a fusion fuel source is enormous, it produces much less radiation and could offer a cleaner path forward.
According to the European Space Agency, about 25 tons of helium-3, roughly the size of a Space Shuttle's cargo bay, could power the entire United States for one year. That makes the isotope, by some estimates, worth $3 billion per ton.
A Crystal in a sea of dust
The discovery of Changesite-(Y) was no easy task.
More than 140,000 lunar particles were examined by scientists over the course of months using advanced techniques like X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Only one crystal of the phosphate mineral was found, about the width of a human hair.
The crystal is believed to have formed 1.2 billion years ago in a volcanically active region of the Moon, adding a geological dimension to its scientific value.
The Chang'e-5 mission, launched in 2020, brought back 1.73 kilograms of lunar soil, the first samples returned to Earth since the 1970s. The mission made China the third country in history to collect and return lunar material, following the US Apollo program and the Soviet Luna missions.
Race to the moon
The helium-3 discovery is reigniting international interest in the Moon, not just for exploration, but for resource extraction.
Multiple countries and private companies have already signaled their intent to mine the Moon in the coming decades. China's next lunar mission, Chang'e-6, scheduled for 2026 after delays, will attempt to collect samples from the Moon's far side, a feat never before accomplished.
NASA
is also preparing for its Artemis missions, which aim to return astronauts to the Moon's surface by the late 2020s, with an eye toward long-term lunar presence and research.
A Future powered by the moon?
Fusion reactors that run on helium-3 are still theoretical. While some experimental designs exist such as tokamaks and inertial confinement systems, no reactor has yet sustained a controlled fusion reaction that produces more energy than it consumes.
Moreover, the logistics of mining helium-3 on the Moon and transporting it back to Earth are daunting and astronomically expensive. It would require not just landers, but long-term lunar infrastructure, autonomous extraction systems, and cargo return vehicles.
Still, the discovery of Changesite-(Y) is a reminder that humanity's future may lie beyond Earth, and that the Moon, our closest celestial neighbor, could hold the keys to solving one of our planet's greatest challenges.
For now, a microscopic crystal rests in a Chinese lab. But its potential could be as vast as space itself.
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