Geological characterization of Shackleton-Slater crater region at lunar south pole, Chang’e-7 candidate landing site

The lunar south pole is a priority target for modern robotic and human lunar explorations. The high significance of the region for scientific research and resource utilization stems from the potential presence of volatiles. The upcoming Chang’e-7 mission, scheduled for 2027, will conduct comprehensive in situ explorations of this region. The Chang’e-7 candidate landing site is located between Shackleton and Slater craters. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the Chang’e-7 candidate region. Multi-source remote sensing data were used to characterize the regional topography, geomorphology, and chemical composition, and to perform impact modeling to trace the provenance of landing site materials. Our results reveal that the landing site is dominated by anorthositic materials with low-Ca pyroxene signatures. Impact ejecta thickness calculation indicates the landing region is primarily composed of materials from the Imbrian-aged Shackleton crater (∼11.6 m of primary ejecta), with significant contributions from impact basins within the South Pole-Aitken basin, such as Amundsen-Ganswindt and Schrödinger, which were redistributed and buried by Shackleton ejecta. Water ice reflectance features indicated potential surface and subsurface ice at the nearby permanently shadowed region of Crater S (unofficial name). This suggests that it is necessary to explore this region with newly developed payloads and extract subsurface regolith for volatile measurements. This study provides a critical geological framework for the Chang’e-7 mission, offers testable hypotheses for its scientific operations, and contributes to a broader understanding of lunar polar geology, volatile distribution, and the evolution of the South Pole-Aitken basin.