
 As the cornerstone mission of the fourth phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), Chang’E-7 (CE-7) was officially approved, and the implementation started in 2022, which includes a main probe and a communication relay satellite. The main probe, consisting of an orbiter, a lander, a rover and a mini-flying probe, is scheduled to be launched in 2026. The lander will land on Shackleton crater's illuminated rim near the lunar south pole, along with the rover and mini-flying probe. The relay satellite (named Queqiao-2) will be launched in February 2024 as an independent mission to support relay communication for ongoing scientific exploration of Chang’E-4 (CE-4), the upcoming Chang’E-6 (CE-6) in 2024, and subsequent lunar missions. CE-7 mission is mainly aimed at scientific and resource exploration of the lunar south pole. We present CE-7’s scientific objectives, the scientific payloads configuration, and the main functions for each scientific payload with its key technical specifications.

Scientific objectives and payload configuration of the Chang’E-7 mission

Geological context of Chang’e-6 landing area and implications for sample analysis

There is extensive geologic evidence of ancient volcanic activity on the Moon, but it is unclear how long that volcanism persisted. Magma fountains produce volcanic glasses, which have previously been found in samples of the Moon’s surface. We investigated ~3000 glass beads in lunar soil samples collected by the Chang’e-5 mission and identified three as having a volcanic origin on the basis of their textures, chemical compositions, and sulfur isotopes. Uranium-lead dating of the three volcanic glass beads shows that they formed 123 ± 15 million years ago. We measured high abundances of rare earth elements and thorium in these volcanic glass beads, which could indicate that such recent volcanism was related to local enrichment of heat-generating elements in the mantle sources of the magma. 

Returned samples indicate volcanism on the Moon 120 million years ago

Lunar exploration is deemed crucial for uncovering the origins of the Earth-Moon system and is the first step for advancing humanity's exploration of deep space. Over the past decade, the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), also known as the Chang'e (CE) Project, has achieved remarkable milestones. It has successfully developed and demonstrated the engineering capability required to reach and return from the lunar surface. Notably, the CE Project has made historic firsts with the landing and on-site exploration of the far side of the Moon, along with the collection of the youngest volcanic samples from the Procellarum KREEP Terrane. These achievements have significantly enhanced our understanding of lunar evolution. Building on this success, China has proposed an ambitious crewed lunar exploration strategy, aiming to return to the Moon for scientific exploration and utilization. This plan encompasses two primary phases: the first crewed lunar landing and exploration, followed by a thousand-kilometer scale scientific expedition to construct a geological cross-section across the lunar surface. Recognizing the limitations of current lunar exploration efforts and China's engineering and technical capabilities, this paper explores the benefits of crewed lunar exploration while leveraging synergies with robotic exploration. The study refines fundamental lunar scientific questions that could lead to significant breakthroughs, considering the respective engineering and technological requirements. This research lays a crucial foundation for defining the objectives of future lunar exploration, emphasizing the importance of crewed missions and offering insights into potential advancements in lunar science. 

Return to the Moon: New Perspectives on Lunar Exploration

Rb-Sr isotopes record complex thermal modification of Chang’e-5 lunar soils

eo scence Chang’e-5 lunar samples shed new light on the Moon Yi Chen, Sen Hu, Jin-Hua Li, Qiu-Li Li, Xiongyao Li, Yang Li, Yang Liu, Yuqi Qian, Wei Yang, Qin Zhou, Yangting Lin,2,* Chunlai Li,6,* and Xian-Hua Li1,* *Correspondence: linyt@mail.iggcas.ac.cn (Y.L.); licl@nao.cas.cn (C.L.); lixh@gig.ac.cn (X.-H.L.) Received: May 20, 2023; Accepted: June 22, 2023; Published Online: June 23, 2023; https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2023.100014 © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

http://www.the-innovation.org/geoscience/main/bdueditor/asp/file/202306/TIG1-0619-CE5-Review-011.pdf

Chang’e-5 lunar samples shed new light on the Moon

月球火山活动究竟能持续多久？

1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK, 2Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OHA, UK, 3Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China, 4School of Physical Sciences, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton, Keynes, MK7 6AA, United Kingdom, 5State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China. 6Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK.

Towards phosphate UPb texture-age records of Solar System dynamical evolution

Lunar volcanism provides critical insights into the Moon's thermochemical evolution. We present petrological and geochemical analyses of six very‐low‐Ti (VLT) basalt fragments from Chang'e‐6 (CE6) samples. These basalts yield a Pb‐Pb age of around 2.9 Ga, representing the youngest reported VLT volcanism. They are slightly older than the low‐Ti basalts from the same soils and exhibit distinct pyroxene compositions and 238U/204Pb ratios, indicating derivation from distinct mantle sources. Compared to Apollo and Luna VLT basalts, these samples share similarly depleted Sr‐Pb isotopes but display elevated rare earth element concentrations and TiO2 contents. These basalts most likely derived from low‐degree melting of an olivine‐orthopyroxene source followed by 30%–40% fractional crystallization. Further diffusion chronometry reveals rapid magma ascent from magma chamber to surface, likely facilitated by the thin lunar crust resulting from the South Pole‐Aitken basin‐forming impact. Our results provide new insights into the petrogenesis of volcanic activity on the lunar farside.

Petrogenesis of Very‐Low‐Ti Basalts Returned by Chang'e‐6 From the Lunar Farside

Mars exploration motivates the search for extraterrestrial life, the development of space technologies, and the design of human missions and habitations. Here, we seek new insights and pose unresolved questions relating to the natural history of Mars, habitability, robotic and human exploration, planetary protection, and the impacts on human society. Key observations and findings include: Some of the outstanding questions are: Mars ’ evolution Mars exploration and explored area based on the availability of CHNOPS chemistry. Mineral distribution patterns together with organic compounds will enable the identification of putative textural biosignatures.

Open Research Online Mars: new insights and unresolved questions

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