Prof. Xiaoping Zhang

Macau University of Science and Technology, China

Bio.: Zhang Xiaoping is a professor at Macau University of Science and Technology, deputy director of Space Science Institute and the State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences. He completed both his undergraduate and doctoral studies at the School of Physics, Nanjing University. Zhang has conducted research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Tsinghua University, among other institutions. 

 His primary research interests are lunar and planetary dust and radiation environments, as well as planetary remote sensing data analysis. Zhang has been involved in the development or data analysis and research for scientific payloads on China’s Chang'e 2–6 lunar missions, Tianwen-1 and Tianwen-2 missions, Macau Science Satellite 1, and the U.S. LADEE mission. He has published over 300 SCI-indexed papers, with more than 13,000 citations in SCI journals. Zhang received the Macau SAR Natural Science Award first prize in 2016 and second prize in 2022.

Title: Fundamental Characteristics of Lunar Regolith for Sustainable Resource Utilization

The utilization of lunar resources is essential for humanity's deep space exploration and long-term extraterrestrial presence, with lunar regolith representing the most accessible surface material and primary target for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). This presentation addresses cutting-edge scientific challenges in lunar regolith characterization by integrating recent findings from Chang'E missions and terrestrial analogs, focusing on: electrostatic migration properties under low-gravity and high-vacuum conditions; mechanical behavior including cohesion, compaction, and shear strength for construction applications; stratigraphic distribution, dielectric properties and depth-dependent resource concentration; chemical composition variations across lunar terrains; and space weathering effects from solar wind, micrometeorite impacts, and cosmic radiation. These studies provide foundational knowledge for developing autonomous mechatronic systems to enable sustainable lunar operations and resource utilization.