Lunar volatiles exploration

Volatiles refer to low-boiling-point elements and compounds, such as noble gases, N₂, H₂O, H₂S, NH₃, CO₂, etc. It is widely accepted that the lunar interior contains very few volatiles. However, due to billions of years of asteroid/comet impacts and solar wind implantation, volatiles exist on the lunar surface, though their abundance remains unknown. The volatiles in lunar regolith can not only indicate the distribution and migration of volatiles in the solar system but also provide information on the composition and content of exogenous volatiles acquired by the Earth after the formation of the Earth-Moon system. This serves as a crucial parameter for studying early Earth evolution and the development of Earth’s habitability. Furthermore, volatiles are potential future resources. For example, water can not only sustain life-support systems in deep space exploration but can also be electrolyzed into hydrogen and oxygen, serving as energy and fuel for such missions. Therefore, volatiles have become a key focus in deep space exploration. The "Lunar Regolith Volatiles Analyzer" in the Chang‘e-7 mission will be installed on the rover. Scheduled for launch in 2026, it will work in coordination with the rover’s robotic arm to quantitatively collect and perform heating measurements on lunar regolith samples. It aims to detect and quantify volatiles and water ice in small cold traps within the illuminated regions of the lunar south pole.