Overview of lunar exploration and International Lunar Research Station

Abstract

As the only natural satellite of the Earth, the Moon is the first target for human space exploration, due to its unique location, highly characteristic environmental resources and abundant material resources. The Earth-Moon system is the proving ground for the exploration of the solar system, and the Moon is a transit point towards farther deep space. Lunar science plays an important role in promoting the development of space science. The development and utilization of lunar resources is of great significance to the sustainable development of mankind. In recent years, China’s lunar exploration has achieved remarkable achievements. After completing the three steps strategy of “orbiting, landing and sample return”, it will aim to better serve the lunar scientific exploration and in situ resource utilization (ISRU), to enhance human scientific cognition and expand Human living space, and to serve the sustainable development of human society. This paper reviews the status and trend of Chinese and international lunar exploration, and summarizes the main tasks, cutting-edge scientific questions and key technologies involved in future lunar exploration and puts forward recommendations for the development of the Chinese lunar exploration. Driven by lunar scientific exploration and lunar ISRU, the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) aims to create infrastructure and shared platforms for solving key space science questions, effectively using lunar resources, and developing the Earth-Moon Economic Circle. In this article, the main mission requirements, and functional architecture of the station are analyzed. A three-step construction plan is proposed, involving (1) making good use of planned missions; (2) coordinating home and abroad missions; and (3) seeking for joint missions. In the first stage, relying on series missions of the fourth phase of China Lunar Exploration Program, we will carry out international cooperation and build up the basic type of the ILRS with capabilities of exploration under a long-term scale and complex environmental conditions. The ILRS will contribute to polar region scientific exploration, ISRU, and application verification for the future expansion. In the second stage, international lunar missions will be coordinated with the objective of expanding the scale, and the technical and scientific activities of the ILRS, therefore making a breakthrough in multi-national and multi-module collaborative work and in integration management or other key technologies. Key technologies, including the long-term operation and guarantee of future scientific research stations, and the application of lunar resource, will be mastered. In the third stage, international partners will contribute to upgrade the station in support of long-term and large-scale scientific exploration, technical experiments and the utilization of lunar resources by jointly investment of new missions. New era of human space exploration will be cultivated, and space physics, astronomy, planetary geology, planetary chemistry and other disciplines will be promoted by international cooperation. International cooperative methods planning integration, joint demonstration, mission design, technical cooperation, collaborative implementation, and achievement sharing are analyzed, all of which paving the way for the demonstration and implementation of the international big scientific projects the ILRS. At present, ILRS has become China’s first batch of international major scientific engineering cultivation projects. Along with international partners, China will carry out scientific objective research, engineering feasibility demonstration and joint implementation plan. Organizational management models and operating mechanisms will be proposed, international expert team and international implementation team will be established, on the basis of which the cultivation of the large-scale scientific project the ILRS will be completed under the principle of wide consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.