关键词: 月球南极, 巡视探测, 太阳同步, 路径规划, 光照走廊

Abstract: The lunar South Pole holds abundant reserves of potential water ice resources, rendering it a vital target for future lunar in-situ exploration. However, the polar region features rugged terrain and drastically spatiotemporally varying illumination conditions, which pose severe challenges to the rover’s detection missions. Long-distance traversal missions require the rover to maintain a stable illuminated observation environment throughout its travel. To address this light-chasing mobility requirement, this study proposes a long-distance solar-synchronized path planning method. Based on a spatiotemporal graph search framework, the proposed method constructs a spatiotemporal illumination corridor satisfying both spatial connectivity and illumination continuity. An improved A* cost function integrating geometric distance, obstacle risk, and illumination redundancy is then designed to achieve long-distance global path planning under continuous illumination constraints. Validation experiments are performed based on the actual topographic DEM data of the vicinity of Shackleton Crater in the lunar south pole. The results show that, while satisfying rover traversability and engineering constraints, the planned path can effectively ensure that the rover remains within a safe illumination window throughout the mission period. This study provides technical support for path planning and illumination safety assurance in future long-duration lunar south polar rover exploration missions.

Key words: lunar south pole, rover exploration, solar-synchronous, path planning, illumination corridor