Decoding the mechanical property “genome” of Chang’e-5 lunar regolith

Abstract The mechanical properties of lunar regolith constitute the engineering foundation for lunar bases and in-situ resource utilization. Yet, the micromechanical “genome” of lunar regolith—its fundamental structure-property relationships—has remained largely un-decoded. A central question in extraterrestrial materials science is whether the intrinsic mechanical behavior of lunar regolith particles—highly complex products of space weathering—aligns with universal physical principles governing terrestrial granular media. Here, we investigated a single lunar particle returned by China’s Chang’e-5 mission through multi-scale structural analysis and high-throughput nanoindentation, quantitatively mapping the interplay between mineral phase, microstructure, and mechanical performance. Furthermore, we report the discovery of universal scaling laws that relate hardness to the reduced Young’s modulus and fracture toughness to Young’s modulus, which stem from composition- and structure-driven divergences in the elastic/plastic deformation mechanisms of the constituent minerals. Our findings not only provide a physical basis for predicting the macroscopic behavior of lunar regolith but also open new avenues for the design of future extraterrestrial exploration engineering missions.