It is important to develop Martian soil simulants that can be used in Mars exploration programs and Mars research. A new Martian soil simulant, called Jining Martian Soil Simulant (JMSS-1), was developed at the Lunar and Planetary Science Research Center at the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The raw materials of JMSS-1 are Jining basalt and Fe oxides (magnetite and hematite). JMSS-1 was produced by mechanically crushing Jining basalt with the addition of small amounts of magnetite and hematite. The properties of this simulant, including chemical composition, mineralogy, particle size, mechanical properties, reflectance spectra, dielectric properties, volatile content, and hygroscopicity, have been analyzed. On the basis of these test results, it was demonstrated that JMSS-1 is an ideal Martian soil simulant in terms of chemical composition, mineralogy, and physical properties. JMSS-1 would be an appropriate choice as a Martian soil simulant in scientific and engineering experiments in China’s Mars exploration in the future.

Deep space exploration expands our understanding about the evolution history of solar system, while the future development heavily relies on the construction of energy systems and utilization of resources on the planet. This paper systematically reviewed the progress in the environmental control and construction technologies of space bases, extraterrestrial in situ resource utilization technology, energy systems, key technologies for planetary transportation platforms, and geological explorations. The current status, pros and cons of these technologies and systems are introduced and discussed. As an important artificial microenvironment in the space base, the environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) provides necessary resources for human. Sintering and additive manufacturing technologies demonstrate the potential to construct a space base with lunar regolith or simulants. The extraction and in situ utilization of resources on the Moon, including water ice, oxygen, and helium-3, are crucial to maintain life support for lunar exploration. Typical energy systems that can be used on the Moon include photovoltaic cell, Stirling power generation technology, closed Brayton cycle (CBC) system, Rankine cycle system, heat storage system, and integrated energy system. The CBC system has the highest thermal efficiency (39%) among them, making it suitable for late-period energy supply. The performance of various planetary rovers, the most important transportation platforms, are summarized. Through geological explorations, the resource distribution, content, and occurrence can be obtained. Perspectives on the future, promotions of environment adaptation, resource recovery, energy efficiency, and intelligence of the existing technologies are still needed to move forward on space explorations.

This study presents the petrography, mineralogy, and bulk composition of lunar regolith breccia meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 7948. We identify a range of lunar lithologies including basaltic clasts (very low‐titanium and low‐titanium basalts), feldspathic lithologies (ferroan anorthosite, magnesian‐suite rock, and alkali suite), granulites, impact melt breccias (including crystalline impact melt breccias, clast‐bearing impact melt breccias, and glassy melt breccias), as well as regolith components (volcanic glass and impact glass). A compositionally unusual metal‐rich clast was also identified, which may represent an impact melt lithology sourced from a unique Mg‐suite parent rock. NWA 7948 has a mingled bulk rock composition (Al₂O₃ = 21.6 wt% and FeO = 9.4 wt%) and relatively low concentrations of incompatible trace elements (e.g., Th = 1.07 ppm and Sm = 2.99 ppm) compared with Apollo regolith breccias. Comparing the bulk composition of the meteorite with remotely sensed geochemical data sets suggests that the sample was derived from a region of the lunar surface distal from the nearside Th‐rich Procellarum KREEP Terrane. Our investigations suggest that it may have been ejected from a nearside highlands‐mare boundary (e.g., around Mare Crisium or Orientale) or a cryptomare region (e.g., Schickard‐Schiller or Mare smythii) or a farside highlands‐mare boundary (e.g., Mare Australe, Apollo basin in the South Pole–Aitken basin). The distinctive mineralogical and geochemical features of NWA 7948 suggest that the meteorite may represent lunar material that has not been reported before, and indicate that the lunar highlands exhibit wide geological diversity.

Yutu-2 rover conducted an exciting expedition on the 41st lunar day to investigate a fin-shaped rock at Longji site (45.44°S, 177.56°E) by extending its locomotion margin on perilous peaks. The varied locomotion encountered, especially multi-form wheel slippage, during the journey to the target rock, established unique conditions for a fin-grained lunar regolith analysis regarding bearing, shear and lateral properties based on terramechanics. Here, we show a tri-aspect characterization of lunar regolith and infer the rock’s origin using a digital twin. We estimate internal friction angle within 21.5°−42.0° and associated cohesion of 520-3154 Pa in the Chang’E-4 operational site. These findings suggest shear characteristics similar to Apollo 12 mission samples but notably higher cohesion compared to regolith investigated on most nearside lunar missions. We estimate external friction angle in lateral properties to be within 8.3°−16.5°, which fills the gaps of the lateral property estimation of the lunar farside regolith and serves as a foundational parameter for subsequent engineering verifications. Our in-situ spectral investigations of the target rock unveil its composition of iron/magnesium-rich low-calcium pyroxene, linking it to the Zhinyu crater (45.34°S, 176.15°E) ejecta. Our results indicate that the combination of in-situ measurements with robotics technology in planetary exploration reveal the possibility of additional source regions contributing to the local materials at the Chang’E-4 site, implying a more complicated geological history in the vicinity.

Nanophase iron (np-Fe) is widely distributed on the surface of lunar soil particles, forming as a result of space weathering. These np-Fe particles contribute to the reddening and darkening of the visible to near-infrared spectra of weathered lunar material and serve as critical indicators for assessing the maturity of lunar soil. (1) This article reviews the proposed formation mechanisms of np-Fe particles from studies of Apollo and Luna soils, including the thermal reduction of iron melts, vapor deposition caused by micrometeorite impacts, and hydrogen reduction due to solar wind exposure. (2) Additionally, recent findings from the analysis of Chang’E-5 lunar soil are highlighted, revealing new mechanisms such as sub-solidus decomposition of olivine, impact-driven disproportionation, and FeO eutectic reactions. (3) Experimental studies simulating space weathering through laser and ion irradiation are also discussed and compared. Despite extensive research, a definitive understanding of np-Fe particle formation remains elusive. Previous lunar soil samples have been collected from the near side of the Moon. This year, the Chang’E-6 mission has successfully returned the first-ever lunar soil samples from the far side. These samples are expected to exhibit unique space weathering characteristics, providing new insights into the formation mechanisms of np-Fe in lunar soil.

Lunar glasses are characterized by complex origin (i.e., volcanism or impact), compositional diversity (e.g., picritic, basaltic, or feldspathic), and visible/near‐infrared spectra similarity. This makes it is problematic to distinguish different types of lunar glasses in laboratory and remote data. In this study, we present micro‐FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) spectroscopy spectra (550–1450 cm^–1) of a suite of lunar volcanic origin glasses (i.e., pyroclastic glasses) and impact‐generated glasses (i.e., mare and highland impact glasses), identified in lunar breccia meteorite Northwest Africa 7948. The results show that lunar pyroclastic glasses, mare impact glasses, and highland impact glasses exhibit different FTIR spectral characteristics: (1) the Christiansen Feature positions of pyroclastic glasses are generally at a longer wavelength (i.e., >~8.3 μm equivalent to <~1,205 cm^–1) than the spectra of mare and highland impact‐generated glasses (i.e., <~8.3 μm equivalent to >~1,205 cm^–1); (2) a relatively strong minor peak was distinctly observed at longer wavelength (~13.5–16.5 μm equivalent to ~600–750 cm^–1) for highland impact glasses. Therefore, new supplementary FTIR diagnostic criteria were proposed to discern different types of lunar glasses. Our studies demonstrated that midinfrared spectra could provide an effective tool to non‐destructively and quickly distinguish lunar glasses in laboratory (e.g., for the future Chang'E‐5 returned soils).