NASA's Dawn mission was launched in September 2007 and orbited asteroids Vesta (2011−2012) and Ceres (2015–2018). Vesta shows surface dark units that have been suggested to be linked to exogenous materials and are therefore useful to understand the initial stages of the Solar System. This work takes advantage of the newly calibrated data of the VIR spectrometer, which are characterized by a better signal to noise (S/N) ratio, giving us the opportunity to search for spectral features that were never seen before due to noise. Considering that hydroxyl has been shown to be present in every dark unit on Vesta and also in carbonaceous chondrites, the goals of this work are the search for and characterization of carbonates that are present in carbonaceous chondrites, i.e., the supposed darkening agents of Vesta. The estimate of the abundances of carbonates is fundamental to identify which carbonaceous chondrite fell on Vesta; this can be crucial for the definition of an evolutionary history of Vesta and the Solar System. The study of a possible feature at 3.9 μm related to the presence of carbonates was analyzed and found to be noise-induced. Although spectral features related to carbonates were not observed, the 3.4 μm absorption band was analyzed anyway in order to fix an upper limit to the abundance of carbonates in carbonaceous chondrites on Vesta. This value is consistent with petrochemical analyses, i.e., no more than 0.2% of carbonates in carbonaceous chondrites.

Thanks to the VIR spectrometer onboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, which orbited Vesta in 2011–2012, thousands of hyperspectral images of its surface have been collected. The mission confirmed the HED (Howardite–Eucrite–Diogenite) meteorite composition of Vesta. Moreover, the VIR spectrometer detected the 2.8 µm absorption band, due to the presence of the OH molecule. In this work, we took advantage of the newly calibrated data of the VIR spectrometer by characterizing new spectral features thanks to the improved signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio for these spectra. The main goals of this work are as follows: (1) to characterize Vesta’s surface in the visible range and (2) to confirm, reinforce and characterize the OH distribution on Vesta by studying the 2.8 µm band and looking for OH combination bands around 2.2–2.4 µm. A possible relation between the 1.9 µm absorption band due to the presence of pyroxenes and the one at 0.5 µm was analyzed. Finally, the analysis of hydroxyl absorption bands evidenced an anti-correlation between the abundance of hydroxyl-bearing molecules and the surface reflectance. This confirms that the hydroxyl presence is linked to the dark units on Vesta.

The Hera mission will arrive at the Didymos system to study the efficiency of momentum transfer and to further investigate the binary system in great detail after the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission impact. We took advantage of two online data bases of meteorites spectra and of recent Didymos spectra taken before and after the DART impact. We performed the first selection based on the comparison of the band centre values of the silicate absorption bands (localized at 1 and 2 μm) between Didymos and the meteorites. The second selection was made defining a four-dimensional space parameter whose dimensions were the band depth and the slope of the two bands, normalized to Didymos values. We introduced a distance measure to find the closest meteorites to Didymos in this space. Finally, we made the last selection based on other criteria, such as the presence of different spectra of the same meteorite, the presence of different spectra from different data bases, and the comparison with the literature. The result of this work is a list of six meteorites that are the most analogous to Didymos system. We also found out that Didymos is most probably mainly composed of L/LL ordinary chondrites, with a preference for the LL sub-type. From our list of meteorites, we were able to estimate the normalized abundance of olivine and pyroxene of Didymos. Finally, a match between Didymos and OC meteorites was also found in the Mid-InfraRed (MIR) range.

MoonIS (Moon Infrared Spectrometer) is a VIS–NIR spectrometer (0.4–2.3 μm) om board of the Emirates Lunar Mission (ELM) of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) [1]. Rashid Rover 3 aims to investigate the geology and mineralogy of the southern polar terrain, explore Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs), and characterize the presence and distribution of water ice and hydroxyl on and beneath the lunar surface. The mission will investigate the lunar South Pole region, with launch currently planned not earlier of 2029. MoonIS spectrometer is a heritage of the Ma_MISS instrument on board the Rosalind Franklin rover of the ESA ExoMars mission [2].Lunar PSRs are considered among the most promising reservoirs of water ice in the inner Solar System and constitute prime targets for sustainable lunar exploration. These permanently shadowed regions act as cold traps for volatiles delivered through cometary and asteroidal impacts, surface–solar wind interactions, and possibly endogenic outgassing processes [3–7]. Although hydrogen-bearing species have been detected, the fine-scale geomorphology, physical state, and spatial distribution of ice within PSRs remain poorly constrained because of the limited spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of current datasets [8–11]. Moreover, the extent to which lunar water ice is exposed at the surface is still uncertain, as its morphology does not exhibit the expected diagnostic characteristics [12–14].In situ investigations are therefore essential to constrain the abundance, distribution, and origin of lunar polar volatiles, as well as to clarify their implications for the history of water in the Solar System. For this reason, several space agencies are planning rover missions aimed at investigating water ice and the overall surface composition within PSRs, while also paving the way for future human exploration of the Moon. MoonIS is derived from the Ma_MISS spectrometr on board of ESA’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, with significant adaptations to its optical head, calibration system, thermomechanical design, and electronics in order to operate under the harsh environmental conditions of the lunar surface. The instrument architecture consists of an optical head mounted on the rover mast and connected, through optical fibers, to a spectrometer unit located inside the rover body. Each fiber is coupled to a dedicated optical element and mapped onto the spectrometer slit, enabling the simultaneous acquisition of multiple spatial elements (“pseudo-pixels”) and the generation of hyperspectral images. The MoonIS optical head is composed of three optical elements specifically designed to maximize spatial coverage and spectral performance. By combining mast scanning and rover motion, the instrument will investigate the terrain surrounding the rover in both illuminated regions and Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs). To enable spectral observations within these extremely dark environments, MoonIS incorporates an onboard illumination system capable of acquiring measurements independently of solar illumination. In addition, the implementation of an external calibration target is being considered to ensure accurate radiometric and spectral calibration throughout the mission. The primary scientific objectives of MoonIS are to:Detect and discriminate between H₂O- and OH-bearing materials;Quantify the abundance and spatial distribution of hydrated phases and water ice;Map the mineralogical composition of the landing site;Identify the major lunar lithological units;Detect and quantify key minerals, including pyroxenes, olivines, feldspars, and spinels;Characterize mineral assemblages and their spatial variability. The instrument spectral range (0.4-2.3 micron), spectral resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and spatial sampling have been specifically optimized to achieve these objectives under both illuminated and permanently shadowed conditions. By providing high-quality in situ hyperspectral measurements, MoonIS will deliver critical ground-truth data for the characterization of lunar polar volatiles, significantly improving our understanding of the origin, evolution, and preservation of water on the Moon, while also supporting future robotic and human exploration activities.Acknowledgments:This work is supported by ASI–INAF Agreement n. 2024-64-HH.0. The instrument is funded by ASI and manufactured by Leonardo S.p.A. (Italy). References: [1] De Sanctis, et al. (2025) (EPSC-DPS2025-587). [2] De Sanctis et al. (2017): Astrobiology 17, 6, 7. [3] McCubbin et al. (2015) American Mineralogist 100: 1668-1707. [4] Honniball et al. (2021) Nature Astronomy 5: 121-127. [5] Pieters et al. (2009) Science, 326, 568–572. [6] Arnold, J. R. (1979) J.G.R. 84, 5659–5668. [7] Wang, J. et al. (2025) P.N.A.S. U.S.A. 122, e2501614122. [8] Hayne, P. O. et al. (2015) Icarus 255, 58–69. [9] Feldman, W. C. et al. Science 281, 1496–1500 (1998). [10] Lucey, P. G. et al. (2014) J.G.R. Planets 119, 1665–1679. [11] Massa et al. (2026) ELS 2026. [12] Ando, J., et al. (2025) P.S.J. 6, 62 (2025). [13] Williams, J.-P. et al. P.S.J. 5, 209 (2024). [14] Mahanti, P. et al. J.A.S.S. 40, 131–148 (2023).

MAJIS is the Moons and Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer onboard ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission. It covers the spectral range from 0.5 to 5.56 µm through two spectral channels: the VIS-NIR channel (0.495–2.35 µm) and the IR channel (2.28–5.56 µm), with up to 640 spectral samples per channel. The main scientific goals of MAJIS are to investigate the surface composition and physical properties of the Jovian icy satellites by detecting ices, salts, organics, and rocky materials [1].The JUICE mission was launched in April 2023 and will arrive at Jupiter in July 2031. During the cruise phase, JUICE performed observations of the Moon and Earth thanks to a double flyby (Lunar-Earth Gravitational Assist, LEGA) in August 2024, reaching a minimum altitude of 750 km for the Moon and 6100 km for Earth. This provided a unique opportunity to validate MAJIS’s technical and scientific performance after launch [2, 3].On the Moon, MAJIS observed equatorial regions in Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Fecunditatis, and neighbouring highland terrains, confirming its capability to detect and map lunar mineralogical diversity and soil maturity [2, 4]. Here, we focus on regions including Duke Island and the Ruin Basin in Mare Tranquillitatis, and the Messier Crater rays in Mare Fecunditatis. Detections of glass, pyroxene and olivine in other locations are also discussed. This work has been developed under the ASI-INAF agreement n. 2023-6-HH.0. [1] Poulet et al., 2024, SSR. [2] Poulet et al., 2026, Ann. Geo., submitted. [3] Langevin et al., 2026, Ann. Geo., submitted. [4] Zambon et al., 2026, Ann. Geo., submitted.

Introduction:Permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) of the Moon are thought to act as cold traps for volatiles, due to their extremely low temperatures (