Geological Characteristics of Chang’E-6 Landing Area in Micro-scale Unveiled by New Observation Data

Abstract Chang'E-6 (CE-6) mission successfully achieved humanity's first sampling and returning from the farside of the moon. Here we developed a high-precision terrain dataset with millimeter-to-centimeter resolution near the CE-6 landing site comprehensively using multi-modal data. The precise location of the CE-6 landing site was determined to be (153.9776°W, 41.6251°S, -5273 m), and a micro-scale geological analysis of the landing area was conducted. Comparative analysis suggested that the surface exposure time of CE-6 landing area was likely between that of Chang'E-4 (CE-4) and Chang'E-5 (CE-5) landing areas. The surface of the CE-6 landing area was primarily covered by local mare materials excavated from a nearby crater approximately 50m in diameter (accounting for about40%). However, due to potential influence from younger ejecta, such as that from crater Chaffee S, its geological characteristics (e.g., surface roughness) are more closely aligned with those of the CE-5 landing area.