Latest news with #Moonrock
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Moon dust 'rarer than gold' arrives in UK from China
The first samples of Moon rock brought back to Earth in nearly 50 years have arrived in the UK - on loan from China. The tiny grains of dust are now locked inside a safe in a high security facility in Milton Keynes - we were given the first look at them. Professor Mahesh Anand is the only scientist in the UK to have been loaned this extremely rare material, which he describes as "more precious than gold dust". "Nobody in the world had access to China's samples, so this is a great honour and a huge privilege," he says. After grinding and zapping the dust with lasers, Prof Anand's team hope to answer fundamental questions about how the Moon formed and about the early years of planet Earth. Inside the grains of dust could be evidence to back up scientists' theory that the Moon was made from the debris thrown out when Earth struck a Mars-sized planet 4.5 billion years ago. China collected the rocks on its Chang'e 5 space mission in 2020 when it landed on a volcanic area called Mons Rümker. A robotic arm drilled into the soil to collect 2kg of material, which was brought back to Earth in a capsule which landed in Inner Mongolia. It was the first successful lunar sampling since a Soviet mission in 1976 and catapulted China into a leading position in the new space race. Now, following a long tradition of global collaboration between space scientists, China has for the first time granted seven international researchers samples to make new discoveries. The tiny vials were handed to Prof Anand at a glamorous ceremony in Beijing last week, where he met colleagues from Russia, Japan, Pakistan and Europe. "It was almost like a parallel universe - and China is so far ahead of us in terms of their investment in space programmes," he said. He returned to the UK with the precious cargo in the safest place he could think of - his hand luggage. At his lab at the Open University in Milton Keynes, we step onto sticky mats to clean our shoes and put on plastic gloves, gowns, hair nets and hoods. The environment inside this high security room must be spotless to prevent contamination. If Earthly material mixes with these extra-terrestrial specs, it could permanently ruin the analysis Prof Anand's team will do. We crouch down on the floor in front of a row of safes. Prof Anand unlocks one and carefully pulls out a ziplock bag with three containers the size of boxes that could keep a necklace. Wedged firmly in each one is a see-through vial with a dusting of dark grey at the bottom. That is the Moon dust. It looks underwhelming, but it is humbling to think of its cosmic journey. And Prof Anand says they don't need any more than this 60mg in total. "Here, the small is mighty. Believe me, it is enough to keep us busy for years to come because we specialise in working on the micro," he adds. In a lab down the corridor, technician Kay Knight will be the first person to actually work on the grains when the vials are opened. She's been cutting and grindings pieces of rocks for 36 years, but this will be the first time she's worked on something straight from the lunar surface. "I'm extremely excited," she says, after showing us how she cuts meteorites using a diamond blade. "But I'm nervous - there's not much of the samples and they can't really go and get more very easily. This is high stakes," she adds. After she prepares the samples, they will go into two more labs. In one, we see a machine with an intricate network of countless tubes, valves and wires. Technician Sasha Verchovskyhas been building it since the early 1990s. He shows us the small cylinder where the specs of dust can be heated to 1400 Celsius. That will help them extract carbon, nitrogen and nobel gases. This is completely unique, and is one of the reasons Prof Anand believes his lab was chosen to receive the rare samples. James Malley, a research technician, operates a machine that can work out how much oxygen is contained within the specs of dust. He shows us a test run of what he will do. "I'm going to hit that grain on the tray with a laser," he says, showing the scene magnified on a computer screen. "It's going to start to glow, and you will see it melt inwards," he says. The team has a year to finish their research. By the end, their search for answers will probably end up destroying the samples. But China has gone further since the Chang'e 5 mission. In 2024 its Chang'e 6 launch brought back the first samples from the far side of the Moon. It's a deeply mysterious place that might have evidence of long-quiet volcanic lava flows. "I very much hope that this is the beginning of a long-term collaboration between China and international scientists," says Prof Anand. "A lot of us built our careers working on samples returned by Apollo missions, and I think this is a fantastic tradition to follow. I hope that other countries will follow suit," he adds. China's Chang'e-5 mission returns Moon samples Who owns the Moon? A new space race means it could be up for grabs
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Extremely rare Moon dust loaned from China shown in UK
The first samples of Moon rock brought back to Earth in nearly 50 years have arrived in the UK - on loan from tiny grains of dust are now locked inside a safe in a high security facility in Milton Keynes - we were given the first look at Mahesh Anand is the only scientist in the UK to have been loaned this extremely rare material, which he describes as "more precious than gold dust"."Nobody in the world had access to China's samples, so this is a great honour and a huge privilege," he says. After grinding and zapping the dust with lasers, Prof Anand's team hope to answer fundamental questions about how the Moon formed and about the early years of planet the grains of dust could be evidence to back up scientists' theory that the Moon was made from the debris thrown out when Earth struck a Mars-sized planet 4.5 billion years ago. China collected the rocks on its Chang'e 5 space mission in 2020 when it landed on a volcanic area called Mons Rümker. A robotic arm drilled into the soil to collect 2kg of material, which was brought back to Earth in a capsule which landed in Inner Mongolia. It was the first successful lunar sampling since a Soviet mission in 1976 and catapulted China into a leading position in the new space following a long tradition of global collaboration between space scientists, China has for the first time granted seven international researchers samples to make new discoveries. The tiny vials were handed to Prof Anand at a glamorous ceremony in Beijing last week, where he met colleagues from Russia, Japan, Pakistan and Europe."It was almost like a parallel universe - and China is so far ahead of us in terms of their investment in space programmes," he returned to the UK with the precious cargo in the safest place he could think of - his hand his lab at the Open University in Milton Keynes, we step onto sticky mats to clean our shoes and put on plastic gloves, gowns, hair nets and environment inside this high security room must be spotless to prevent Earthly material mixes with these extra-terrestrial specs, it could permanently ruin the analysis Prof Anand's team will do. We crouch down on the floor in front of a row of safes. Prof Anand unlocks one and carefully pulls out a ziplock bag with three containers the size of boxes that could keep a firmly in each one is a see-through vial with a dusting of dark grey at the bottom. That is the Moon dust. It looks underwhelming, but it is humbling to think of its cosmic Prof Anand says they don't need any more than this 60mg in total."Here, the small is mighty. Believe me, it is enough to keep us busy for years to come because we specialise in working on the micro," he adds. In a lab down the corridor, technician Kay Knight will be the first person to actually work on the grains when the vials are been cutting and grindings pieces of rocks for 36 years, but this will be the first time she's worked on something straight from the lunar surface."I'm extremely excited," she says, after showing us how she cuts meteorites using a diamond blade."But I'm nervous - there's not much of the samples and they can't really go and get more very easily. This is high stakes," she she prepares the samples, they will go into two more labs. In one, we see a machine with an intricate network of countless tubes, valves and Sasha Verchovskyhas been building it since the early 1990s. He shows us the small cylinder where the specs of dust can be heated to 1400 Celsius. That will help them extract carbon, nitrogen and nobel is completely unique, and is one of the reasons Prof Anand believes his lab was chosen to receive the rare samples. James Malley, a research technician, operates a machine that can work out how much oxygen is contained within the specs of shows us a test run of what he will do."I'm going to hit that grain on the tray with a laser," he says, showing the scene magnified on a computer screen."It's going to start to glow, and you will see it melt inwards," he says. The team has a year to finish their research. By the end, their search for answers will probably end up destroying the China has gone further since the Chang'e 5 mission. In 2024 its Chang'e 6 launch brought back the first samples from the far side of the Moon. It's a deeply mysterious place that might have evidence of long-quiet volcanic lava flows."I very much hope that this is the beginning of a long-term collaboration between China and international scientists," says Prof Anand."A lot of us built our careers working on samples returned by Apollo missions, and I think this is a fantastic tradition to follow. I hope that other countries will follow suit," he adds.
Khaleej Times
10-04-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Indian wealth firm targets Middle East with DIFC hub
Ambit Global Private Client (Ambit GPC), a leader in bespoke financial solutions, has made a foray into the Middle East with a new office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The move follows Ambit's strategic acquisition of Dubai-based Moonrock Investments Ltd in November 2024, signalling the Indian wealth management powerhouse's ambition to go global. The new entity, Ambit Global Private Client (Mena) Limited, merges Ambit's institutional-grade expertise with Moonrock's regional clout, aiming to serve ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) individuals and family offices across the region. Ambit GPC, a subsidiary of Mumbai-based Ambit Private Limited, already manages over $9 billion in assets under management and advice (AUM&A) for more than 1,000 of India's wealthiest families. Ambit's entry into Dubai taps into the Middle East's financial pulse, leveraging DIFC's status as a global hub. The expansion reflects a broader trend of Indian financial firms eyeing global growth amid India's economic surge. By blending Ambit's sophisticated advisory with Moonrock's local know-how, the firm is poised to attract non-resident Indians, foreign nationals, and regional family offices, the company said. 'Our foray into the Middle East marks a pivotal step in transforming Ambit into an international wealth management brand,' said Ashok Wadhwa, group CEO of Ambit. 'As Indian wealth goes global, we're here to deliver seamless, world-class solutions—wherever our clients are.' The acquisition of Moonrock, regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), brings Ambit's acclaimed research, discretionary portfolio management strategies, and innovative direct deal offerings to a new market. It also caters to a growing appetite among Indian residents for offshore investments and the Indian diaspora's interest in tapping India's booming markets. 'DIFC aligns with our vision of empowering clients to think and act globally,' said Amrita Farmahan, CEO of Ambit GPC. 'Our platform bridges Indian and international markets with unique perspectives, and we're thrilled to build lasting relationships here.' Leading the Dubai charge are Digvijay Singh, a 20-year veteran of private banking with stints in India and Dubai, and Shanti Kaliappan, a wealth management expert and former senior executive officer at Moonrock. Their team will offer tailored solutions across asset classes, staying true to Ambit's mantra: 'Wisdom is the ultimate wealth.'
