This session aims to provide a comprehensive platform for discussing the latest advancements in lunar science, exploration, and resource utilization.
This session will cover critical aspects of lunar science, including investigations of the deep interior, subsurface structure, surface morphology, up to atmospheric dynamics and the solar wind interaction. Such studies can make use of lunar mission data, lunar samples, meteorites, terrestrial analogues, laboratory experiments, and / or modeling efforts. Comparative investigations linking the Moon with asteroids or planet Mercury are equally encouraged.
In addition to highlighting results from past and current space missions, this session seeks to explore innovative ideas for future exploration, including insights on forthcoming space missions and instrumentation aiming to greatly advance our understanding of the Moon in the next decades. Furthermore, the session will focus on identifying strategic knowledge gaps crucial for the safe and sustainable exploration of cis-lunar space and the lunar surface by astronauts. Finally, the session will discuss the role of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), which has recently been proposed as the key enabler of a sustained human presence on the Moon.
We welcome all relevant contributions — spanning theoretical models, observational data, and experimental findings — from experts of different fields including science and engineering. As such, the session aims to foster a comprehensive dialogue on ongoing developments and plans of lunar exploration activities.