UPRS-1: A regolith simulant of Utopia Planitia, Mars

Understanding the composition and properties of Martian soils is crucial for scientific research and engineering tests for payloads and landers, which is why simulants are utilized in diverse applications in the absence of Martian samples returned to Earth. Existing simulants are predominantly based on the global Martian surface materials and some regions in the southern highlands of Mars, neglecting the northern lowlands such as Utopia Planitia. The Zhurong rover of the Chinese Tianwen-1 mission explored Utopia Planitia, collecting extensive physical and chemical data from surface materials and facilitating the development of a new Mars simulant representing the northern lowlands. Thus, we developed Utopia Planitia Regolith Simulant-1 (UPRS-1) to replicate the soil properties of Utopia Planitia and proposed a quantitative evaluation to assess the high similarity of UPRS-1. The overall similarity parameter of UPRS-1 is 86.1 % via quantitative evaluation. Additionally, its composition is adaptable to specific research requirements, enabling its application in diverse fields, including geotechnical experiments, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technology, ground tests for exploration missions, and astrobiology.