Representatives of PolyU’s management and research team attended the press event: Dr Lam Tai-fai, Council Chairman (centre); Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, President (4th from right); Prof. Wing-tak Wong, Deputy President and Provost (4th from left); Dr Miranda Lou, Executive Vice President (3rd from right); Prof. Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) (3rd from left); Prof. Yung Kai-leung, Sir Sze-yuen Chung Professor in Precision Engineering, Chair Professor of Precision Engineering (2nd from right); Prof. Wu Bo, Fiona Cheung Professor in Spatial Science, LSGI (2nd from left); Dr Robert Tam, Associate Director of the Industrial Centre (1st from right), and Dr Wang Xing, Postdoctoral Fellow of LSGI (1st from left).
Led by Prof. Yung Kai-leung (centre) and Prof. Wu Bo (left), both seasoned experts in deep space exploration initiatives, the Chang’e-5 lunar soil analysis research has brought together a distinguished team, including Dr Wang Xing (right), to pioneer research on water trapped in lunar soil.
LSGI scholars, Prof. WU Bo and Dr WANG Xing contribute to Nation’s Chang’e-6 historic lunar far-side sampling mission
PolyU has successfully acquired lunar soil samples collected by China’s Chang’e-5 mission, including a 400 mg surface sample (left) and a 42.6 mg deep drill sample (right).The Space Resources Laboratory of the PolyU Deep Space Exploration Research Center has set up a lunar soil sample storage and analysis facility to properly store and analyse the lunar soil in depth.
The Space Resources Laboratory of the PolyU Deep Space Exploration Research Center has set up a lunar soil sample storage and analysis facility to properly store and analyse the lunar soil in depth.
Prof. WU Bo, Fiona Cheung Professor in Spatial Science, Associate Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), and Associate Director of the Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations (RCDSE), and his research team have been instrumental in the successful completion of the world’s first lunar far-side sampling for the Chang’e-6 lunar exploration mission from the Lunar Sample Management Office under the China National Space Administration’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Centre. A press event sharing this achievement was held on 3 July at the PolyU.
Prof. Wu and his research team including Dr Wang Xing, Postdoctoral Fellow of LSGI, and Dr Sergey Krasilnikov, Research Assistant Professor of LSGI are actively engaged in the lunar exploration mission. They will delve into groundbreaking research on "Finding Water in Lunar Soil" through microstructural analysis of the lunar regolith, shedding insights into soil formation on the Moon's surface and the lunar water resources. The PolyU research team has successfully obtained two distinct lunar soil samples: a surface soil sample weighing 400 milligrams, collected by PolyU’s Surface Sampling and Packing System; and a subsurface soil sample totaling 42.6 milligrams. Leveraging their extensive expertise in photogrammetry and related geospatial technologies, the research team has made invaluable contributions to this historic achievement.
Prof. Wu Bo highlighted that the PolyU research team successfully obtained lunar soil samples from the National Astronomical Observatories in Beijing, which they have brought back to the PolyU campus for further analysis. He expressed the team's delight in securing these valuable samples, which will provide important scientific insights. Prof. Wu stated that the interdisciplinary PolyU team has extensive experience in space missions, with research embracing areas such as lunar geological research, topographic and geomorphological analysis of landing sites, development and manufacturing of space payloads, in-depth analysis of lunar soil samples, and space resource utilization. Prof. Wu emphasized the team's eagerness to leverage their research strengths to deliver additional impactful contributions to innovation and technological advancement in Hong Kong and the Nation.
The achievements of the PolyU LSGI scholars in the Chang’e-6 lunar far-side sampling mission have not only marked a significant milestone in the nation’s aerospace history but also paved the way for future advancements in space resource utilization and lunar research. As the nation continues to prioritize manned lunar landing and the return of Mars samples, the PolyU team stands ready to make further valuable contributions to the nation's ambitious space exploration endeavours.
More information can be found in the Media Release (PolyU contributes to Nation’s Chang’e-6 historic lunar far-side sampling mission and acquires Chang’e-5 lunar soil samples; Leading deep space exploration research) of PolyU.
