Lunar Landscapes in 4 K: South Pole Aitken Basin panoramas and Theophilus Moon Crater

Lunar South PoleAitken basin, a colossal 2500 km diameter impact site from the preNectarian period, is of immense scientific interest. Its unique features include a mascon (a large positive gravity anomaly), KREEPrich terrain (indicative of a distinct magmatic history), and potential water ice deposits in permanently shadowed regions, making it a prime target for future lunar exploration. The SPA basin offers insights into the early solar system and the Moon s formation, presenting abundant resources for future lunar utilization and remaining a focal point for scientific investigation and discovery. Building on Chang e 4 s success, the Chang e 6 mission, launched in 2024, targeted the Apollo Basin within the SPA basin to retrieve lunar samples from the far side and conduct insitu analyses of the lunar regolith and volatile content. Equipped with a drilling and sampling system for surface and subsurface samples, the Lunar Regolith Penetrating Radar for probing subsurface structures,