Lunar radiation environment: measurement and modeling results

The exploration of the Moon is an extremely important part of aerospace missions. However, the Moon lacks the shielding of a global magnetic field and atmosphere, leaving it directly exposed to high energy space radiation, which poses non-negligible potential risks to lunar exploration missions. High energy particles from deep space may directly impact personnel or instruments on the lunar surface. Moreover, they react with the lunar regolith to generate a large number of secondary particles—including a significant amount of neutrons that are difficult to shield against—thereby introducing additional radiation risks. The lunar radiation environment is relatively complex, constrained by multiple factors (such as radiation sources at different times, varying compositions and densities of lunar soil, etc.). Therefore, in addition to analyzing data from detectors mounted on spacecraft or lunar landers, particle transport simulations tailored to different scenarios are also an important tool. Studying the lunar radiation environment is not only a requirement for the smooth execution of lunar exploration missions but also contributes to addressing scientific issues such as analyzing the mechanisms of cosmic rays and the isotopic composition of lunar samples. As a review article, this paper respectively introduces the main sources of high energy particle radiation on the Moon, the mechanisms of interaction between high energy space radiation particles and lunar regolith, the measurement status of high energy particles and radiation doses on the lunar surface in recent years, the simulation of the lunar surface radiation environment, and the outlook for future research prospects.