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Advances in Exploring the Moon, Mars, and Asteroids Based on In-Situ and Remote Sensing Measurements

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Satellite Missions for Earth and Planetary Exploration".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2026) | Viewed by 17509

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Italian Space Agency, Via del Politecnico snc, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: exploration architectures; space project management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Salita Moiariello 16, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: exploration; Moon, Mars; asteroids; comets; dust
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
Interests: asteroid geomorphology; planetary defense; spectrophotometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
Interests: Mars robotic and human landing sites; phobos and asteroids surface morphological analyses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The most intriguing questions in space science are related to the origins and evolution of the Solar System and to the possible emergence of life outside Earth. Moreover, the Moon, Mars, and asteroids have the unique additional relevance of being potential destinations for exploration by astronauts, with the aim of expanding the human presence in space beyond our planet while also accomplishing scientific investigations. Hence, the characterization of these environments can also be oriented to assess habitability aspects, in preparation for future crewed missions. Geological features, the study of the environment (e.g., atmosphere, exosphere, dust, plasma, radiation) and related hazards for exploration, and the occurrence of resources or threads are clear examples of areas of interest which interconnect science and robotic/human exploration.

This Special Issue intends to capture recent achievements and future trends in robotic exploration enabled by remote sensing and other in situ measurements techniques. Data collected by planetary orbiters, landers, and rovers have already contributed to our understanding of other celestial bodies. These necessary instruments are expected to improve in terms of performance while reducing their size, mass, and resource needs in order to comply with the actual trends, like smallsats for exploration.

The solicited papers for the proposed Special Issue will cover scientific traditional topics and novel areas like innovative strategies for interplanetary transfer and observation, the characterization of planetary environments, the identification of space resources/reserves, potential habitability assessment, and new payloads for small satellites.

Dr. Simone Pirrotta
Dr. Francesca Esposito
Dr. Alice Lucchetti
Dr. Maurizio Pajola
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • geological features
  • study of the environment
  • resources
  • robotic and human exploration
  • innovative strategies
  • remote sensing dataset analyses
  • new instrumentation concepts
  • smallsat concepts

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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17 pages, 28048 KB  
Article
Spectroscopic and Geochemical Characterization of NWA 11421: Insights into Lunar Crust–Mantle Composition and Implications for Remote Sensing and Moon Exploration
by Andrew Alberini, Francesco Renzi, Giovanni Poggiali, Fernándo Alberquilla, Sole Biancalani, Cristina García-Florentino, Anaïs Roussel, Mariano Battistuzzi, Julene Aramendia, Juan Manuel Madariaga, Teresa Fornaro and John Robert Brucato
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(4), 576; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18040576 - 12 Feb 2026
Viewed by 590
Abstract
Lunar meteorites provide access to a geographically unconstrained record of the Moon, offering key insights into crustal diversity and interior evolution beyond the Apollo and Luna landing sites. Among them, the feldspathic breccia NWA 11421 is of particular interest because of its complex [...] Read more.
Lunar meteorites provide access to a geographically unconstrained record of the Moon, offering key insights into crustal diversity and interior evolution beyond the Apollo and Luna landing sites. Among them, the feldspathic breccia NWA 11421 is of particular interest because of its complex mineralogy and the presence of a dunite clast interpreted as a fragment of the lunar mantle. We present a non-destructive, multi-scale characterization of NWA 11421 using VIS–IR spectroscopy, µ-FTIR mapping, and µ-EDXRF. Results identify a polymict feldspathic breccia dominated by an anorthite matrix, with significant low-Ca pyroxene and olivine occurring as discrete mafic microdomains at the micro-scale. Near-infrared pyroxene band positions and Christiansen Feature (CF) value further indicate relatively mafic and primitive components. In addition, NWA 11421 CF value match with lunar crater-ejecta regions observed by the Diviner radiometer (LRO). These findings are consistent with a deep crustal or shallow mantle origin for NWA 11421 and may provide useful constraints for the selection of future landing sites, particularly in the context of ISRU-oriented human exploration, where mafic components are key sources of Fe and Mg. Full article
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32 pages, 8673 KB  
Article
Photogrammetric Processing of Regional ShadowCam and LROC NAC Controlled Mosaics, Evaluation of Positional Accuracies, and Scientific Applications
by William M. Collins, Seth A. Grieser, Megan R. Henriksen, Jaclyn D. Clark, Natalie F. Carr, Robert V. Wagner, Torie A. Roseborough, Steven E. Nystrom and Mark S. Robinson
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(3), 525; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18030525 - 5 Feb 2026
Viewed by 869
Abstract
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) and Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) ShadowCam provide high-resolution (0.5–2 m per pixel) images of the Moon. These high-resolution images facilitate the creation of highly detailed controlled mosaics, which can be used for [...] Read more.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) and Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) ShadowCam provide high-resolution (0.5–2 m per pixel) images of the Moon. These high-resolution images facilitate the creation of highly detailed controlled mosaics, which can be used for applications such as regional geomorphic maps, crater size-frequency distribution analysis, and mission planning. We establish the methodology used to produce most of our LROC NAC and ShadowCam regional controlled mosaics, conduct an analysis of the accuracy of our controlled mosaics, and discuss the utility of these products. This accuracy analysis includes a comprehensive analysis of the bundle adjustment results for both our LROC NAC and ShadowCam controlled mosaics and a comprehensive analysis of the positional accuracy of our LROC NAC controlled mosaics, with median positional offsets of our NAC controlled mosaics being <12 m in latitude and <5 m in longitude. Full article
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25 pages, 13440 KB  
Article
Seasonal and Interannual Variation in Martian Gravity Waves at Different Altitudes from the Mars Climate Sounder
by Jing Li, Bo Chen, Tao Li, Zhaopeng Wu and Weiguo Zong
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(2), 319; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18020319 - 17 Jan 2026
Viewed by 388
Abstract
Gravity waves (GWs) are an important dynamic process in the planetary atmosphere. They are typically excited by convection, topography, or other sources from the lower atmosphere and propagate upwards. The GWs have a significant effect on the global atmospheric circulation on Mars. However, [...] Read more.
Gravity waves (GWs) are an important dynamic process in the planetary atmosphere. They are typically excited by convection, topography, or other sources from the lower atmosphere and propagate upwards. The GWs have a significant effect on the global atmospheric circulation on Mars. However, the lack of high-resolution data from previous observations has resulted in an insufficient understanding of GWs in the Martian atmosphere, particularly in terms of its global distribution and long-term evolution characteristics at different altitudes. Based on multiple years of Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) limb observations on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), we conducted a detailed study of the global distribution, seasonal and interannual variations in Martian atmospheric GWs with vertical wavelengths ranging from 9 to 15 km at three different altitude ranges, i.e., the low-altitude range of 200–20 Pa (Lp, ~10–30 km), the mid-altitude range of 20–2 Pa (Mp, ~30–50 km), and the high-altitude range of 2–0.2 Pa (Hp, ~50–70 km). The results indicate complex regional and north–south differences, as well as night–day variations, in the spatial distribution of GWs. Particularly, a three-wave structure of the GW activity is observed over mountainous regions in the mid-to-low latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The peak longitude range of this structure closely matches the mountainous terrain. In addition, our results reveal the presence of bands of GW aggregations in the mid- to-high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere in the Mp and Hp layers, which may be caused by the instability of the polar jet. There are also obvious seasonal and interannual variations in GW activities, which are related to topography, polar jets, and large dust storms. The interannual variations in GWs imply that, in addition to the well-known large seasonal dust storms, complex interannual variations in atmospheric activity over the polar jets and in the complex topography at mid-to-low latitudes on Mars may also exist, which deserve further studies in the future. Full article
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22 pages, 5143 KB  
Article
Geological Map of the Proclus Crater: A Study Case to Integrate Composition and Morpho-Stratigraphic Mapping on the Moon
by Cristian Carli, Lorenza Giacomini, Giovanna Serventi and Maria Sgavetti
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(23), 3786; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17233786 - 21 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 853
Abstract
Planetary mapping has progressively evolved due to the increasing availability of high-quality data and advancements in analytical techniques applied to both surface and subsurface features. In particular, the enhanced spatial resolution and broader coverage provided by cameras and spectrometers aboard orbiting spacecraft around [...] Read more.
Planetary mapping has progressively evolved due to the increasing availability of high-quality data and advancements in analytical techniques applied to both surface and subsurface features. In particular, the enhanced spatial resolution and broader coverage provided by cameras and spectrometers aboard orbiting spacecraft around planetary bodies, now enable the production of more detailed geostratigraphic maps. Which maps go beyond the traditional planetary approach, with mineralogical data contributing significantly to the development of more comprehensive final products. Proclus crater is a fresh crater, 28 km in diameter, located on the northwest rim of the Crisium basin, where crystalline plagioclase, as well as pyroxenes and olivine, have been detected. Here, preliminarily, the geomorphological map showed the different surface textures and lineaments of the crater, and a spectral unit map highlighted the different spectral units present in the area. The spectral unit map has been produced by using supervised classification, where the spectral endmembers were extracted by the mean of an automatic tool. The mineralogical interpretation retrieved from spectral endmembers supports the definition of six main spectral units and, moreover, indicates how two of them could be divided into subunits. Those subunits show the systematic variation in plagioclase, low-Ca and high-Ca pyroxene, and their relative abundances. Finally, the geostratigraphic maps associate compositional heterogeneity with different units of the crater, suggesting that this crater was originally characterized by lithologies rich in plagioclase, but mixed with variable low amounts of mafic phases. Since Proclus is a relatively small crater and the units better exposing the mineral’s original heterogeneity are principally distributed in the walls, the spectral units seem to suggest the presence of magma traps during the plagioclase floating during the lunar primary crust formation and constitute heterogeneous terrains within the Highland. Full article
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12 pages, 7748 KB  
Article
MoonLIGHT and MPAc: The European Space Agency’s Next-Generation Lunar Laser Retroreflector for NASA’s CLPS/PRISM1A (CP-11) Mission
by Marco Muccino, Michele Montanari, Rudi Lauretani, Alejandro Remujo Castro, Laura Rubino, Ubaldo Denni, Raffaele Rodriquez, Lorenzo Salvatori, Mattia Tibuzzi, Luciana Filomena, Lorenza Mauro, Douglas Currie, Giada Bargiacchi, Emmanuele Battista, Salvatore Capozziello, Mauro Maiello, Luca Porcelli, Giovanni Delle Monache and Simone Dell’Agnello
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(5), 813; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17050813 - 26 Feb 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2946
Abstract
Since 1969, 55 years ago, Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) has provided accurate and precise (down to ~1 cm RMS) measurements of the Moon’s orbit thanks to the Apollo and Lunokhod Cube Corner Retroreflector (CCR) Laser Retroreflector Arrays (LRAs) deployed on the Moon. Nowadays, [...] Read more.
Since 1969, 55 years ago, Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) has provided accurate and precise (down to ~1 cm RMS) measurements of the Moon’s orbit thanks to the Apollo and Lunokhod Cube Corner Retroreflector (CCR) Laser Retroreflector Arrays (LRAs) deployed on the Moon. Nowadays, the current level of precision of these measurements is largely limited by the lunar librations affecting the old generation of LRAs. To improve this situation, next-generation libration-free retroreflectors are necessary. To this end, the Satellite/lunar/GNSS laser ranging/altimetry and cube/microsat Characterization Facilities Laboratory (SCF_Lab) at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare—Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (INFN-LNF), in collaboration with the University of Maryland (UMD) and supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), developed MoonLIGHT (Moon Laser Instrumentation for General relativity High-accuracy Tests), a single large CCR with a front face diameter of 100 mm, nominally unaffected by librations, and with optical performances comparable to the Apollo/Lunokhod LRAs of CCRs. Such a big CCR (hereafter, ML100) is mounted into a specifically devised, designed, and manufactured robotic actuator, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), the so-called MoonLIGHT Pointing Actuator (MPAc), which, once its host craft has landed on the Moon, will finely align the front face of the ML100 towards the Earth. The (optical) performances of such a piece of hardware, MoonLIGHT+MPAc, were tested in/by the SCF_Lab in order to ensure that it was space flight ready before its integration onto the deck of the host craft. After its successful deployment on the Moon, additional and better-quality LLR data (down to ~ 1 mm RMS or better for the contribution of the laser retroreflector instrument, MoonLIGHT, to the total LLR error budget) will be available to the community for future and enhanced tests of gravitational theories. Full article
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17 pages, 6473 KB  
Communication
Terrestrial and Martian Paleo-Hydrologic Environment Systematic Comparison with ASI PRISMA and NASA CRISM Hyperspectral Instruments
by Angelo Zinzi, Paola Manzari, Veronica Camplone, Eleonora Ammannito, Giuseppe Sindoni, Francesco Zucca and Gianluca Polenta
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(5), 758; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17050758 - 22 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1491
Abstract
The comparative analysis of hyperspectral data from different instruments can provide detailed information on the composition and geology of similar environments on different planets. This study aims to compare data acquired from the PRISMA satellite, used for Earth observation, with those collected by [...] Read more.
The comparative analysis of hyperspectral data from different instruments can provide detailed information on the composition and geology of similar environments on different planets. This study aims to compare data acquired from the PRISMA satellite, used for Earth observation, with those collected by the CRISM spectrometer onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, orbiting Mars, in order to analyze the geological and mineralogical differences between the morphologies present on the two planets of interest. The comparison of these data will allow us to examine the mineralogical composition, highlighting the similarities and differences between the terrestrial and Martian environments. In particular, in this study, we present a method to refine the interpretation of spectral features of minerals commonly found in paleo-hydrological environments on Mars and identified also by field analysis of similar terrestrial sites, thus allowing us to improve the Martian sites’ characterization. Thanks to this approach, we have been able to find spectral similarities (e.g., band positions, band ratios) among specific Earth and Mars sites, thus demonstrating that it could be further expanded, by systematically using Earth-observation orbiting instruments to better characterize and constrain Martian spectral data. Full article
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24 pages, 3576 KB  
Article
Preliminary Trajectory Analysis of CubeSats with Electric Thrusters in Nodal Flyby Missions for Asteroid Exploration
by Alessandro A. Quarta
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(3), 513; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17030513 - 1 Feb 2025
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1792
Abstract
This paper studies the performance of an interplanetary CubeSat equipped with a continuous-thrust primary propulsion system in a heliocentric mission scenario, which models a nodal flyby with a potential near-Earth asteroid. In particular, the mathematical model discussed in this work considers a small [...] Read more.
This paper studies the performance of an interplanetary CubeSat equipped with a continuous-thrust primary propulsion system in a heliocentric mission scenario, which models a nodal flyby with a potential near-Earth asteroid. In particular, the mathematical model discussed in this work considers a small array of (commercial) miniaturized electric thrusters installed onboard a typical CubeSat, whose power-generation system is based on the use of classic solar panels. The paper also discusses the impact of the size of thrusters’ array on the nominal performance of the transfer mission by analyzing the trajectory of the CubeSat from an optimization point of view. In this context, the propulsive characteristics of a commercial electric thruster which corresponds to a iodine-fueled gridded ion-propulsion system are considered in this study, while the proposed procedure can be easily extended to a generic continuous-thrust propulsion system whose variation in thrust magnitude and specific impulse as a function of the input electric power is a known analytic function. Using an indirect approach, the paper illustrates the optimal guidance law, which allows the interplanetary CubeSat to reach a given solar distance, with the minimum flight time, by starting from a circular (ecliptic) parking orbit of assigned radius. The mission scenario is purely two-dimensional and models a rapid nodal flyby with a near-Earth asteroid whose nodal distance coincides with the solar distance to be reached. Full article
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29 pages, 3568 KB  
Article
Enhancing Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Quantification Through Minimum Redundancy and Maximum Relevance-Based Feature Selection
by Manping Wang, Yang Lu, Man Liu, Fuhui Cui, Rongke Gao, Feifei Wang, Xiaozhe Chen and Liandong Yu
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(3), 416; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17030416 - 25 Jan 2025
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2195
Abstract
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a rapid, non-contact analytical technique that is widely applied in various fields. However, the high dimensionality and information redundancy of LIBS spectral data present challenges for effective model development. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the [...] Read more.
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a rapid, non-contact analytical technique that is widely applied in various fields. However, the high dimensionality and information redundancy of LIBS spectral data present challenges for effective model development. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the minimum redundancy and maximum relevance (mRMR) method for feature selection in LIBS spectral data and to explore its adaptability across different predictive modeling approaches. Using the ChemCam LIBS dataset, we constructed predictive models with four quantitative methods: random forest (RF), support vector regression (SVR), back propagation neural network (BPNN), and partial least squares regression (PLSR). We compared the performance of mRMR-based feature selection with that of full-spectrum data and three other feature selection methods: competitive adaptive re-weighted sampling (CARS), Regressional ReliefF (RReliefF), and neighborhood component analysis (NCA). Our results demonstrate that the mRMR method significantly reduces the number of selected features while improving model performance. This study validates the effectiveness of the mRMR algorithm for LIBS feature extraction and highlights the potential of feature selection techniques to enhance predictive accuracy. The findings provide a valuable strategy for feature selection in LIBS data analysis and offer significant implications for the practical application of LIBS in predicting elemental content in geological samples. Full article
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15 pages, 2271 KB  
Technical Note
Resource-Constrained 3D Volume Estimation of Lunar Regolith Particles from 2D Imagery for In Situ Dust Characterization in a Lunar Payload
by Filip Wylęgała and Tadeusz Uhl
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(20), 3450; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17203450 - 16 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1315
Abstract
Future lunar exploration will depend on a clearer understanding of regolith behavior, as underscored by adhesion issues observed during Apollo. The Lunaris Payload, a compact instrument developed in Poland, targets in situ assessment of lunar regolith adhesion to engineering materials using a resource-constrained [...] Read more.
Future lunar exploration will depend on a clearer understanding of regolith behavior, as underscored by adhesion issues observed during Apollo. The Lunaris Payload, a compact instrument developed in Poland, targets in situ assessment of lunar regolith adhesion to engineering materials using a resource-constrained optical approach. Here we introduce and validate six lightweight 2D-to-3D geometric models for estimating particle volume from planar images, benchmarked against the high-resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) ground truth. The tested methods include spherical, cylindrical, fixed-aspect-ratio ellipsoid, adaptive ellipsoid, and Feret-based models and an empirically scaled voxel proxy. Using micro-CT scans of adhered simulant particles, we evaluate accuracy across >8000 particles segmented from 2D projections. Ellipsoid-based models consistently outperform the alternatives, with absolute percentage errors of 30–35%, while fixed-aspect-ratio variants offer strong accuracy–complexity trade-offs suitable for mass- and power-limited payloads. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive benchmarking of six 2D-to-3D volume models against micro-CT for bulk-adhered lunar regolith analogs. The results provide a validated, efficient framework for in situ dust characterization and reliable particle mass estimation, advancing Lunaris’ capability to quantify regolith adhesion and supporting broader goals in dust mitigation, ISRU, or habitat construction. Full article
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14 pages, 4842 KB  
Technical Note
Mare Volcanism in Apollo Basin Evaluating the Mare Basalt Genesis Models on the Moon
by Xiaohui Fu, Chengxiang Yin, Jin Li, Jiang Zhang, Siyue Chi, Jian Chen and Bo Li
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(21), 4078; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16214078 - 31 Oct 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2693
Abstract
The Apollo basin is a well-preserved double-ringed impact basin located on the northeastern edge of the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin. The Apollo basin has been flooded and filled with large volumes of mare lavas, indicating an active volcanism history. Based on orbital data, [...] Read more.
The Apollo basin is a well-preserved double-ringed impact basin located on the northeastern edge of the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin. The Apollo basin has been flooded and filled with large volumes of mare lavas, indicating an active volcanism history. Based on orbital data, we reveal that the Apollo basin exhibits an overall asymmetric configuration in the distribution of mare basalts as well as its topography, chemical compositions, and crustal thickness. The Apollo basin is an excellent example for assessing the influences of the above factors on mare basalts petrogenesis and evaluating mare basalt genesis models. It was found that the generation of mare basalt magmas and their emplacement in the Apollo basin seems to be strongly related to local thin crust (<30 km), but the formation of basaltic magmas should be independent of the decompression melting because the mare units (3.34–1.79 Ga) are much younger than the pre-Nectarian Apollo basin. The mare basalts filled in the Apollo basin exhibits a large variation of TiO2 abundances, indicating the heterogeneity of mantle sources, which is possible due to the lunar mantle overturn after the LMO solidification or the impact-induced mantle convection and migration. However, the prolonged mare volcanic history of the Apollo basin is not well explained, especially considering the low Th abundance (<2 ppm) of this region. In addition, the central mare erupted earlier than other mare units within the Apollo basin, which seems to contradict the predictions of the postbasin loading-induced stresses model. Laboratory investigations of the Chang’E-6 mare basalt samples could possibly answer the above questions and provide new insight into the mare volcanic history of the lunar farside and the connections between mare volcanism and impact basin formation/evolution. Full article
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