The lunar pole’s water ice is essential for understanding the Moon’s evolution and building future lunar research station. Nevertheless, existing orbital remote-sensing missions and returned samples remain insufficient to resolve the key unknowns of polar water, including its occurrence modes (e.g., adsorbed water/hydroxyl, pore-filling ice, or ice-cemented regolith), its abundance and vertical variability, and its potential origin and evolutionary pathways. To address this gap, the Chang’E-7 mini-flying probe will carry the Lunar soil Water molecule Analyser (LUWA) to conduct in-situ detection of water ice at the permanently shadowed region for the first time. This paper describes the compositional structure of LUWA and the detection approach, comprising drilling, sampling, sealing, heating and analysis. We detail the calibration parameters, apparatus, and procedures for its three core analytical modules: the Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectrometer (TDLAS), the Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (TOF-MS), and the Differential optical Absorption Spectrometer (DAS). The operational chain is designed to release water through thermal extraction, quantify water content with high sensitivity across a wide dynamic range, and enable the determination of D/H isotopic signatures. A systematic ground calibration methodology and a unified calibration framework are established for three functional modules dedicated to water measurement. The framework defines calibration objectives, procedures, and traceability pathways to characterize module response functions, assess background and temperature-dependent effects, verify detection limits and linearity, and evaluate accuracy and repeatability, thereby supporting robust conversion from raw observables to calibrated water-content and isotope products in flight. In parallel, a dedicated lunar in-situ exploration test platform is developed to replicate LUWA’s full operational workflow using lunar regolith simulants, including drilling, sampling, sealing, heating, and analysis. Integrated tests validate key performance metrics and the measurement workflow, providing crucial technical support for interpreting Chang’E-7 LUWA data and for assessing the abundance and occurrence of water ice in lunar soil within PSRs.

Due to the inherent limitations of current remote sensing techniques, the actual occurrence and accurate abundance of water ice in lunar regolith cannot be directly identified, making in-situ verification urgently necessary. The Chang’E-7 mission of China’s Lunar Exploration Program plans to conduct water ice detection at the lunar south pole, where an in-situ micro-sampling device mounted on the rover will perform quantitative collection of lunar regolith for the volatiles in-situ measurement instrument. However, the uncertainty of lunar surface conditions leads to considerable dispersion in sampling mass. Moreover, water ice sublimation loss caused by tool-soil temperature difference and mechanical interactions during sampling will further reduce the detection accuracy. To ensure the reliability of detection data from the volatiles measurement instrument, this paper proposes calibration methods for sampling mass and water ice loss. Icy lunar regolith simulant is prepared via vapor deposition during sampling, and sampling mass calibration experiments are carried out using a self-developed calibration device. Preliminary results show that sampling mass varies significantly with regolith particle size distribution. Further research will be conducted on the physical mechanism of icy lunar regolith sampling under multi-factor coupling conditions. This study aims to provide a high-confidence physical response parameter spectrum for accurate interpretation and scientific analysis of Chang’E-7 in-orbit data.

The Chang’E-7 mission carries a Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) for investigating lunar shallow subsurface structures. To ensure the validity of the acquired data and improve the accuracy and consistency of its interpretation, this study presents a comprehensive calibration framework suitable for space-grade penetrating radar systems, incorporating full-system gain calibration and system transfer function calibration, among others. Applying this methodology, the lunar radar system was rigorously calibrated, clarifying the optimal parameter configuration for its in-orbit operation. Under this parameter setting, all performance metrics of the radar system meet the design requirements: the system gains of the Low-Frequency (LF) and High-Frequency (HF) channels are 171.02 dB and 169.70 dB, respectively, fulfilling the detection depth requirements of 400 m and 40 m. The acquired Time-Varying Gain (TVG) curve and system transfer function, validated through simulated lunar regolith experiments, can provide effective calibration baselines for scientific data obtained during lunar surface exploration. This calibration scheme can serve as a technical reference for the calibration of radar systems in future deep-space exploration missions.

In order to solve the problem of frequency stability and transmission accuracy decrease caused by temperature fluctuation during on-orbit operation of an extravehicular load equipment, a highly efficient thermal control scheme is proposed which bases on passive thermal control as the main approach and active thermal control as the auxiliary method. The scheme employs a single-phase liquid cold plate as the main heat dissipation surface, and 10-unit multi-layer insulation components for comprehensive encapsulation. High thermal conductivity materials are utilized to achieve efficient heat conduction. Simultaneously, heating sheets and TEC semiconductor ceramic sheets are used for precise temperature control. Through finite element simulation analysis of temperature distribution under both high and low temperature conditions and optimization design, the temperature variation of key components is controlled within ±0.5 K. The ground constant-temperature thermal balance experiment and the in-orbit data results indicate that this scheme effectively suppresses the interference of temperature fluctuations on the load equipment, significantly improves the overall temperature uniformity of the equipment. It enables photodiodes and other sensitive devices to operate within the optimal temperature range (25-50°C). The temperature change rate of temperature-sensitive devices on the extravehicular load equipment is better than 0.1 K·min^–1, meeting the on-orbit stability requirements of high-precision time-frequency transmission systems. It can provide an important reference for the thermal control design of similar space load equipment.

The Chang’E-7 orbiter is expected to carry the Wide-band InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (WIRIS), which will acquire high spectral resolution images and thermal emission data of the lunar surface across a broad spectral range from the visible to longwave infrared (0.45～10 µm). These data will support scientific investigations into lunar surface mineral composition, thermal environment, and water/hydroxyl detection. Compared to previous lunar orbital hyperspectral instruments, WIRIS enhances quantitative retrieval capabilities for key spectral features such as the Christiansen Feature (CF) of silicate minerals and molecular water. Building upon the design of the Tianwen-1 Mars Mineralogical Spectrometer, WIRIS extends its spectral coverage into the mid- to long-wave infrared range (3.3～10 μm), and incorporates simultaneous temperature measurements to reduce thermal correction uncertainties in the 3 μm water/hydroxyl absorption region. This study addresses the quantitative calibration requirements of the newly extended spectral range by proposing spectral, radiometric, and geometric calibration methods tailored for the mid- to long-wave infrared bands. Based on calibration experiments, the sources of error and associated uncertainties are analyzed. The results provide essential methodological and technical support for accurate physical parameter retrieval and scientific application of WIRIS mid- to long-wave infrared data.

As a key indicator of global climate change and an essential freshwater resource, the accurate acquisition of multiple physical parameters of glaciers holds significant importance for global climate change research, ecological conservation, and water resource planning. In China, glaciers are predominantly mountain glaciers distributed in high-altitude regions. Constrained by harsh environments and complex terrain, traditional in-situ detection methods fail to achieve large-scale continuous monitoring of internal glacier parameters. Satellite-borne glacier remote sensing, meanwhile, faces limitations in resolution and interference from complex ground clutter in mountainous glacier regions, and thus has yet to be operationalized. Airborne radar, with its superior spatial resolution and flexible detection capabilities, has become a critical technical tool for glacier monitoring and research. However, airborne detection of mountain glaciers still confronts challenges posed by undulating ice surfaces and complex subglacial topography: scattering clutter from the uneven ice surface interferes with radar signal interpretation and precise inversion of key parameters, while the intricate subglacial structure and scattering losses caused by ice surface topography interact with dielectric losses within the ice, impeding accurate inversion of glacier dielectric constants. To address these challenges, this study integrates airborne ultra-wideband radar detection data from mountain glaciers with the Pseudo-Spectral Time Domain (PSTD) numerical simulation method. A coupled model of ice surface-subglacial dual interface topography and dielectric parameters is established. Through two-dimensional PSTD electromagnetic simulations, the interaction mechanism between topographic scattering and ice dielectric loss is elucidated. Furthermore, an inversion method for the imaginary part of the ice layer dielectric constant in measured regions is proposed based on dynamic range analysis. For the measured data from Laohugou Glacier No. 12, iterative optimization converges the estimated imaginary part value to 6.0×10^–4. The relative error between the estimated imaginary part and the theoretical mean is 21%. Cross-validation between simulation results and theoretical models demonstrates that this method effectively improves the inversion accuracy of glacier dielectric parameters in complex terrain by decoupling the synergistic interference between topographic relief and dielectric parameters, thereby offering a viable solution for studying internal dielectric properties of glaciers.

The Chang’E-7 spacecraft is scheduled to be landed in the Aitken Basin region of the lunar south pole to conduct comprehensive exploration and research on the lunar surface environment. As one of the main detectors onboard the Chang’E-7 spacecraft, a lunar dust detector is developed for in-situ measurements of naturally suspended dust in the polar region, key parameters such as the particle size, velocity, and cumulative mass flux will be obtained. To achieve high-precision scientific detection, systematic ground calibration experiments were conducted. For particle size calibration, a single-particle free-fall method combined with an equivalent test scheme using neutral density filters was employed, achieving coverage of the particle size range from 1 µm to 5000 µm. Experimental results demonstrate that the particle size retrieval error does not exceed 17%. Velocity calibration was performed by measuring the time-of-flight of free-falling particles from different heights, yielding a velocity measurement error within 13%. For mass flux calibration, the solution titration method was used to obtain the sensitivity of the Quartz Crystal Microbalances, with sensitivities in three orthogonal directions all on the order of 10^–9 g·Hz^–1·cm^–2 and exhibiting good linearity. Furthermore, temperature-frequency correction curves were established to support the normalization of in-orbit data. The calibration results indicate that the performance indicators of the dust detector meet the requirements for detection in the extreme environment of the lunar south pole. The established calibration methods and retrieval models provide a reliable foundation for the interpretation of subsequent in-orbit scientific data.

The temperature field during solidification has an important influence on the microstructure and properties of the material. Due to the difference of heat convection in space and ground environment, natural convection driven by gravity plays an important role in heat transfer in ground environment. However, in space, the microgravity environment almost eliminates the influence of gravity-dominated natural convection, which will lead to certain differences in the heat transfer characteristics between space and ground, resulting in differences in the temperature field distribution in the material experimental furnace. As a result, the temperature field obtained on the ground is different from that in space under the same temperature control conditions, thus affecting the equivalence of experimental conditions between space and ground materials. The heat transfer characteristics obtained from ground experiments cannot be directly applied to space experiments. This mismatch has a major impact on the space materials experiments. In order to obtain the heat transfer characteristics under microgravity conditions, a three-dimensional numerical model of heat transfer in the high temperature material experimental rack of the space station is established. In the modeling process, reasonable simplification is carried out according to the actual physical conditions, some minor heat transfer factors which have little influence on the overall temperature field are ignored. The temperature field simulation of the ground experiment and the space experiment was carried out respectively, and the temperature distribution of the sample box was obtained. The temperature obtained by simulation was compared with the measured temperature. Through comprehensive analysis of the changes of heat transfer parameters in the space microgravity environment and the normal gravity environment on the ground, the heat transfer law similar to the space condition was obtained. The research results provide a new way to predict the space temperature field distribution based on the ground experiment results of high temperature materials experiment rack and have important guiding significance for the future research of space materials.

The Chang’E-7 mission will deploy China’s first independently developed lunar seismograph at the Moon’s south pole to record ground motions generated by moonquakes and meteoroid impacts. The instrument is designed for an eight-year operation lifetime aimed at characterizing the seismic activity and shallow interior structure of the Moon. To ensure measurement accuracy and long-term operational stability under the extreme conditions of the lunar environment, it is essential to establish a systematic calibration methodology. This will guarantee that the instrument’s key technical parameters and calibration indicators meet the requirements for scientific exploration and data inversion. Based on the technical criteria for ground-based seismograph network integration, and considering performance specifications such as bandwidth, dynamic range, and magnitude range, this paper proposes a comprehensive ground calibration test plan covering critical indicators, including amplitude-frequency response, sensitivity and sensitivity error, self-noise levels and measurement range. Furthermore, in accordance with the operational requirements during the lunar surface phase, an autonomous in-situ calibration scheme has been designed, along with a proposed manual source calibration method on the lunar surface. This study establishes a comprehensive calibration framework for the functionality and performance of the lunar seismograph, providing systematic procedures for performance testing and evaluation throughout all mission phases—from ground validation to in-situ operation on the lunar surface. The proposed framework lays an essential foundation for acquiring high-precision lunar seismic data and conducting subsequent scientific analyses.

This review systematically summarizes recent advances in filmwise and dropwise condensation under microgravity, elucidating two-phase heat transfer mechanisms and gravitational influence patterns. For condensing heat transfer in tubes, gravity-independent criterion numbers (Bond number, Froude number, etc.) are used to determine whether gravity affects heat transfer, and the effect of gravity can be attenuated by increasing the mass flow rate of the vapor and reducing the tube diameter. In microgravity environments, dropwise condensation can be achieved through vapor flow acceleration combined with functional surfaces and air-blowing techniques for condensate removal. Current experimental studies on microgravity condensation remain limited due to challenges in obtaining sustained microgravity conditions. The paper emphasizes the necessity of conducting long-term condensation experiments utilizing orbital platforms like the China Space Station and International Space Station to address data reproducibility issues, investigate gravity-dependent mechanisms, and provide theoretical foundations for space two-phase thermal management systems.