China's rover collects mysterious minerals from far side of Moon

Early this year, China sent its Chang'e-4 lunar lander to the far side of the moon ad registering its name in the history books. Now a new study claims that the lander's rover, Yutu-2, may have detected the first signs of lunar mantle material.

If the material is a part of the Moon's mantle, it will be very helpful to the astronomers understanding the formation of both the Earth and the Moon. Chang'e-4 was planned to land inside the moon's Von Kármán crater, one of the largest known impact structures in the solar system.

The rover, Yutu-2 is said to have found two minerals: low-calcium (ortho)pyroxene and olivine. These fall in line with the predictions of what the upper mantle of the Moon is made of.

Astronomers believe that the moon's crust and mantle layers are different from one another. As of now whatever is known of the moon's composition is based on the surface samples acquired by the Apollo missions, which were on the near side of the moon.

This is the first time mantle samples have been collected. However, some scientists warn that the study isn't complete. The rover will continue to study these materials in order to understand the geological context and origin.

Besides, NASA has shortlisted 11 firms including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to build prototypes of human landers for its Artemis lunar exploration mission. The space agency aims to put the first woman on the Moon's south pole by 2024 and continue with more advanced missions in 2028.

"To accelerate our return to the Moon, we are challenging our traditional ways of doing business. We will streamline everything from procurement to partnerships to hardware development and even operations," said Marshall Smith, director for human lunar exploration programs at NASA.