Above: Chang’E-5 landing site where water was detected. Credit: CNSA/CLEP

An international team of scientists including a planetary geologist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has discovered water on the Moon for the first time using surface measurements. The team detected trace amounts of water on the lunar surface using data from China’s Chang’E-5 lunar lander.

Their discovery sheds light on the origins of the Moon while improving resource prospects for future human exploration missions.