基于嫦娥7号探测任务概念设计的月球南极光照条件和电场环境研究

Lunar polar volatiles, such as water ice, are essential lunar exploration objects. The conceptual design for China’s Chang’E-7 lunar exploration mission to the South Pole was proposed. The mission comprises an orbiter, a lander, a rover, a leaper, and a relay satellite. The orbiter can provide high-resolution images to select a suitable landing site. The rover and leaper will be deployed for in-situ exploration in sunlit areas and permanently shadowed regions, respectively. The relay satellite will transmit all data to the ground. We calculated the accumulated illumination, as an engineering condition, within a 15 km×15 km area partially covering the Shackleton crater from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026. Two potential landing sites—areas SR1 and CR1—were analyzed in detail by comparing their average illumination rate, slope, and distance to the exploration target. Additionally, we simulated the electric field of the Shackleton crater within a 37 km×27 km area, considering the effect of the plasma wake on the electric field in shadowed areas. The results show that the maximum surface potential near the rims is less than 2.1 V, while the minimum surface potential at the bottom of the crater can reach as low as −500 V due to the plasma wake effect. Therefore, a risk assessment is necessary, especially for the exploration of the leaper at the bottom of the Shackleton crater.