Hopper-Based Lunar-Penetrating Radar Imaging
- Paper ID
101493
- DOI
- author
- company
School of Aerospace, Tsinghua University, Beijing; Tsinghua University
- country
China
- year
2025
- abstract
The lunar-penetrating radar, as a crucial method for investigating shallow subsurface geological structures through three-dimensional imaging, holds significant potential in lunar exploration for researching lunar formation and evolution. The lunar surface, densely cratered and featuring rugged terrains and mechanical degradation from abrasive regolith, significantly hampers rover mobility. This challenge is particularly pronounced in regions like the South Pole–Aitken Basin, where persistent shadowing further constrains exploration. Leveraging the Moon’s microgravity environment, hopping mobility offers a promising solution for traversing rugged terrain. Notably, the U.S. Nova-C lunar lander "Athena," successfully launched in February 2025, carries the “Grace” Micro Nova hopper capable of hopping into and out of permanently shadowed regions. Similarly, China's Chang'e-7 mission, scheduled for 2026, will deploy a hopper equipped with multi-legged locomotion technology for polar shadowed region exploration. This paper proposes a working method of arranging a lunar radar on a hopper, adopting synthetic aperture radar imaging mode, with a scanning trajectory of a parabolic path. The key contributions include: 1. Analyzing the penetration imaging effect of parabolic trajectories using the back projection algorithm and developing a sampling-weighted algorithm to suppress sidelobe energy; 2. Proposing a corrected range migration processing algorithm based on parabolic motion characteristics, achieving fast frequency-domain imaging. The simulation results show that the imaging resolution approaches theoretical values, verifying the feasibility of hopping-based lunar radar imaging and providing a new paradigm for lunar exploration.