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<p>Characterizing landing sites for future lunar crewed missions is key to maximizing the science output. Here we use orbital data to look at the equatorial Rimae Bode region, which is at the mare–highlands boundary and is a high-priority candidate for the upcoming Chinese crewed mission. We identify four distinct geological units: a dark mantle deposit; the Sinus Aestuum mare area; the Rimae Bode unit proper, formed by two distinct areas; and the highlands. The dark mantle deposit is pyroclastic material with relatively low albedo, whose thickness ranges from 77 m to 136 m. Sinus Aestuum is an ancient impact basin filled with low-Ti basaltic lavas with a maximum thickness of 193 m and with a 4-m-thick regolith mostly composed of local materials. Rima Bode I includes volcanic rilles that are potential sources for the basalts in Sinus Aestuum, as they share its spectral characteristics, whereas Rima Bode II exhibits high abundances of Th and Ti. Based on this information, we propose four prospective landing sites in the traversable areas, which provide a range of diverse geological samples, including volcanic debris, mare basalts, Copernicus crater ejecta and high-Th materials. Such a collection may provide insights into the geological evolution of the region and enhance our understanding of the lunar mantle composition and volcanic processes.</p>

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Geology of Rimae Bode region as priority site candidate for China’s first crewed lunar mission

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月9日

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  • Maosheng Yang,
  • Jun Huang,
  • Wajiha Iqbal,
  • Lukas Wueller,
  • Carolyn H. van der Bogert,
  • Harald Hiesinger,
  • Sascha Mikolajewski,
  • Minggang Xie,
  • Sen Hu,
  • Long Xiao

摘要

Characterizing landing sites for future lunar crewed missions is key to maximizing the science output. Here we use orbital data to look at the equatorial Rimae Bode region, which is at the mare–highlands boundary and is a high-priority candidate for the upcoming Chinese crewed mission. We identify four distinct geological units: a dark mantle deposit; the Sinus Aestuum mare area; the Rimae Bode unit proper, formed by two distinct areas; and the highlands. The dark mantle deposit is pyroclastic material with relatively low albedo, whose thickness ranges from 77 m to 136 m. Sinus Aestuum is an ancient impact basin filled with low-Ti basaltic lavas with a maximum thickness of 193 m and with a 4-m-thick regolith mostly composed of local materials. Rima Bode I includes volcanic rilles that are potential sources for the basalts in Sinus Aestuum, as they share its spectral characteristics, whereas Rima Bode II exhibits high abundances of Th and Ti. Based on this information, we propose four prospective landing sites in the traversable areas, which provide a range of diverse geological samples, including volcanic debris, mare basalts, Copernicus crater ejecta and high-Th materials. Such a collection may provide insights into the geological evolution of the region and enhance our understanding of the lunar mantle composition and volcanic processes.