Lunar surface water has garnered considerable attention due to its potential for utilization by future lunar exploration missions and other space endeavors.

Recently, a team of researchers led by Prof. Sen Hu from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has discovered that impact glass beads found in the lunar soils collected by the Chang’e-5 (CE5) mission contain traces of water.

Thorough investigations indicate that these glass beads may serve as a novel water source on the Moon, documenting the continual influx and outflow of water derived from solar wind, and functioning as a regulator for the lunar surface water cycle.

This work will be published today (March 27) in the journal Nature Geoscience, Sci-Tech Daily reported.