Abstract: Thermal detection in the lunar surface environment, one of the major tasks in China’s Lunar Exploration Project (CLEP), is of great technological and scientific significance. The methods of lunar surface thermal detection are discussed in this paper. The related techniques are the technical preparation for a kind of lunar environment detection instrument to be used in CLEP. The instrument will serve as a payload for thermal detection, considering both engineering requirements and scientific standards and capable of obtaining characteristic parameters of lunar surface, which may provide reliable guidance for further lunar activities, while offering essential basic data for scientific lunar investigations.