【#Tech24H】The Negative Ions at the Lunar Surface (NILS) instrument, the world’s first dedicated extraterrestrial negative ion analyzer carried by the Chang’e-6 lander, has successfully achieved the first-ever direct detection of negative ions on the lunar surface. This reveals the presence of negative ions generated by the solar wind on the Moon, solving a long-standing mystery in the scientific community. In lunar orbit, the lifespan of hydrogen negative ions is only about 0.07 seconds, a signal that previous lunar orbiting missions had consistently failed to capture. By landing on the lunar surface, Chang’e-6 was able to conduct direct detection near the source of these ions, breaking through this bottleneck. This research not only enhances our understanding of the lunar plasma environment but also provides new perspectives for studying space weathering on the lunar surface and the lunar exosphere.