An extraordinary mineral now demands close scrutiny.

The mineral in question is called Changesite-Y and it was discovered in lunar rock samples returned from the Chang’e-5 mission, brought back to Earth by scientists in China after landing on Mare Imbrium, the Moon’s basaltic plain. Researchers found that Changesite-Y contains unusually high concentrations of helium-3 and rare isotopes of uranium and thorium embedded within its crystalline structure, which prompted speculation about its energy-generation potential. As we unpack what is known about Changesite-Y we’ll examine exactly what was discovered, what the laboratory results show and what remains far from proven when it comes to powering our world.



