Innovation Focus in 2024

From Moon to Mars exploration, from the progress of the global large-scale scientific facilities to the wide application of superconducting materials and solid-state batteries, from the development and application of nuclear energy to environmental protection against Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), and the rapid reconstruction of human lifestyles by Artificial Intelligence (AI) ......, The Innovation’s editorial team presents a review of the major scientific breakthroughs in 2024. 

The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), or the Chang’e program, named after the Chinese goddess of the Moon, was launched with official approval in January 2004. A series of Chang’e probes have successfully completed their missions, starting with Chang’e 1 on 24th October 2007 that achieved lots of original scientific and technical breakthroughs. In 2024, the Chang’e 6 probe successfully landed in the Apollo basin in the southern hemisphere and brought back lunar soil from the far side of the moon for the first time. This provided significant insights into the evolution of lunar geology, the history of moon surface collisions and the rules of matter migration, among other things. The initial research results demonstrated the proof of lunar far side volcanism 2.8 billion years ago, filling in the critical gap between 3.2 Ga and 2.0 Ga. Furthermore, a Chinese research group developed a novel method that could produce massive amounts of water through the reaction between lunar materials and hydrogen found in surrounding lunar soil, which lays a solid foundation for human living on the moon in the future. With the success of the Chang’e 6 mission, China’s space exploration has moved toward new horizons, such as the construction of a scientific station on the moon, and broken fresh ground for deep space exploration and resource development.