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

Lunar South Pole-Aitken basin, a colossal 2500 km diameter impact site from the pre-Nectarian period, is of immense scientific interest. Its unique features include a mascon (a large positive gravity anomaly), KREEP-rich 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 in-situ 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,