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China plans to extract oxygen from Moon's surface: Report

WION Web Team
BeijingUpdated: Oct 20, 2021, 09:49 PM IST
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File photo. Photograph:(Reuters)

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China had announced it will be collaborating with Russia to build a research station on the Moon named the International Lunar Research Station.

According to reports, China is reportedly working towards extracting oxygen from the lunar surface to sustain humans on the Moon.

A Chinese researcher claimed the oxygen is required to build a research centre in space although it is unclear whether the experiment has been carried out by China's Chang’e 5 mission.

Researcher Guo Linli told a conference that lunar soil is rich in titanium-iron oxide and ferrous oxide. The Chinese researcher said that up to 30kg of oxygen can be extracted from 100kgs of soil.

China has put forth an ambitious space programme. Chinese scientists revealed the rocks brought back from Moon showed that it was volcanically active.

The Chang'e-5 mission had reportedly collected 2 kilos of samples from the unexplored areas of the Moon setting a new precedent.

China had sent a remote-controlled rover to Mars in May. The robot reportedly studied the surface rocks and atmosphere on Mars.

China plans to set up a space station named Tiangong which reportedly would need 11 missions as it deploys its scientists in space, although Chinese authorities have said it is open to foreign collaboration but it is unclear if the cooperation will be as extensive as the International Space Station (ISS) currently underway. 

In March, China had announced it will be collaborating with Russia to build a research station on the Moon named the International Lunar Research Station.

China had said the lunar research station would "carry out multi-disciplinary and multi-objective scientific research activities" including lunar exploration.

(With inputs from Agencies)