The team found that some of the minerals in the lunar soil – particularly the oxide mineral ilmenite – store large amounts of hydrogen due to billions of years of exposure to the solar wind.

When heated, the hydrogen reacts chemically with iron oxides in the minerals, producing large amounts of water, iron and ceramic glass.

01:57

China’s Chang’e-6 mission returns to Earth with first samples from the far side of the Moon

China’s Chang’e-6 mission returns to Earth with first samples from the far side of the Moon

When the temperature then exceeds 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 Fahrenheit), the lunar soil itself begins to melt and releases the water in the form of steam.

The team said it examined the lunar soil using techniques such as high-resolution electron microscopy and concluded that one gram of lunar soil contains about 51 to 76 milligrams of water.

This means that about 50 liters (13 gallons) could be extracted from one ton of lunar soil – “basically enough to give 50 people a drink in a day,” the academy said.

Based on these findings, the team proposed a method to heat the lunar soil until it melts by focusing sunlight through concave mirrors.

The iron produced as a byproduct of this process could serve as a raw material for the manufacture of electronic devices on the moon, the researchers said, while the molten lunar soil could be used as building material for a base.

However, they also warned that further feasibility studies would need to be conducted on subsequent Chang’e lunar missions to determine whether this technology could become a reality.

The academy stated: “This method is extremely practical and is intended to serve as a design basis for the construction of future lunar research stations and space stations.”

The search for water on the Moon has been a challenge for lunar scientists for decades. Today, they are convinced that ice could exist in its natural state at the South and North Poles, as well as in areas that are permanently in shadow.

Samples brought back by Chang’e-5 have shown that some minerals in the lunar soil, including glass and pyroxene, contain small amounts of water.

However, the Chinese Academy of Sciences warned on Thursday that the water content of these minerals is very low, ranging between 0.0001 and 0.02 percent, making their extraction and use difficult.

Several missions will continue the search for water on the Moon over the next few years, including the Russian orbiter Luna 26 and the Chinese mission Chang’e-7, scheduled to launch in 2026 and land at the Moon’s south pole.

01:42

China’s Chang’e 5 lunar probe finds water on the moon, but not as much as hoped

China’s Chang’e 5 lunar probe finds water on the moon, but not as much as hoped

Meanwhile, NASA’s efforts suffered a setback last month when the launch of the Viper lunar rover was canceled due to cost concerns, but the agency said it would continue the search using other means.

Beyond the immediate benefits for lunar missions, a recent article in the Bulletin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said the moon’s water resources could one day be used as a fuel source for deep-space mission vehicles by breaking them down into oxygen and hydrogen.

The article, written by researchers from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, goes on to say that the search could also help uncover key processes in the formation and evolution of the Earth and the Moon, as well as the entire solar system.