Nature Geoscience, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02042-w

Krypton and xenon in lunar farside soils are derived from solar wind and suggest deeper penetration because the solar wind is not slowed by Earth’s magnetosphere. This contrasts with the nearside, according to noble gas analyses of soil samples collected by the Chang’e-6 mission.