Digital analysis of unprecedented lunar material suggests tougher regolith could shape plans for the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).

When China’s Chang’e-6 mission delivered material from the far side of the Moon to Earth in mid-2024, planetary scientists knew they were looking at something historic. For the first time, researchers could examine soil collected from the Moon’s permanently hidden hemisphere.

Now, a team led by scientists at Beihang University has published the first detailed, non-destructive physical analysis of those samples, offering new insight into how the terrain could affect plans for a future lunar base.

Their findings suggest that far-side lunar soil may be mechanically stronger and more interlocked than material previously studied from the near side – a difference that could influence engineering strategies for the proposed ILRS.

A first look at far-side material from Chang’e-6

The samples returned by Chang’e-6 originated in the Moon’s South Pole–Aitken basin, a vast impact structure on the far side that differs geologically from the areas explored during NASA’s Apollo missions and China’s earlier Chang’e-5 mission.

Because the material is rare and limited in quantity, conventional destructive testing was not an option. Instead, researchers turned to high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography, combined with machine learning, to digitally reconstruct individual grains of lunar regolith.

The approach allowed them to create three-dimensional models of more than 349,000 particles without physically altering the samples.

Using a semi-supervised deep learning system, the team processed large volumes of imaging data to distinguish tightly packed grains and model their detailed geometry. The result is effectively a ‘digital twin’ of the far-side soil, enabling simulations of its mechanical behaviour.

Sharper, more angular grains

Analysis revealed that the far-side grains are notably more angular than soil previously collected on the Moon’s near side. The researchers report a lower average sphericity – about 0.74 – indicating particles that are more jagged and irregular.

This morphology likely reflects the unique impact environment of the South Pole–Aitken basin and the effects of prolonged space weathering.

Unlike rounded terrestrial sand grains shaped by wind and water, lunar particles are formed by repeated micrometeorite impacts and lack erosive smoothing processes.

Those differences are not just cosmetic. Shape influences how soil behaves under load.

Implications for lunar base engineering

Using Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations based on the reconstructed particle models, the team calculated key geotechnical properties of the far-side regolith.

The simulated internal friction angle reached 47.96 degrees, with cohesion measured at 1.08 kilopascals – values exceeding many earlier estimates for near-side lunar soil derived from Surveyor and Apollo mission data.

In practical terms, more angular particles create stronger geometric interlocking, increasing resistance to shear forces.

For engineers planning infrastructure, that could translate into improved load-bearing capacity – a potential advantage when designing landing pads, habitat foundations, and surface platforms for a lunar base.

At the same time, higher shear strength may complicate drilling operations and rover mobility, as rovers may encounter greater resistance when traversing or excavating the terrain.

Engineering data for the ILRS

The findings provide the first benchmark dataset describing the physical and mechanical properties of far-side regolith.

As China and its partners advance plans for the International Lunar Research Station, such data will inform structural design, anchoring systems, and surface construction methods.

Beyond immediate engineering considerations, the study also demonstrates how advanced imaging and artificial intelligence can expand scientific insight while preserving irreplaceable extraterrestrial materials.

With only a limited quantity of far-side samples available, digital reconstruction offers a path forward for future analyses.

For space agencies pursuing a sustained human presence on the Moon, understanding how the ground behaves beneath a structure is as important as the structure itself.

The far side, it now appears, may offer a firmer foundation than once assumed, though not without new technical hurdles to overcome.