See the polar moon sites where NASA plans to land its astronauts

NASA has updated its list of potential landing sites for the next human visit to the moon, which is planned for 2026. The Artemis III mission will see the first crewed lunar landing since the Apollo era, and the plan is for astronauts to explore the moon’s South Pole region where there is thought to be water ice on the lunar surface.

NASA shared a list of 13 candidate landing locations for Artemis III in 2022, but has now updated its list to nine candidates. Some of these were on the list previously, while others have been added such as the Mons Mouton mountain and plateau, which is particularly interesting to scientists because the height of the mountain means that there are permanently shadowed regions nearby. These places, where sunlight never touches, are particularly good candidates when it comes to looking for water ice.

“The Moon’s South Pole is a completely different environment than where we landed during the Apollo missions,” said Sarah Noble, Artemis lunar science lead at NASA Headquarters, in a statement. “It offers access to some of the moon’s oldest terrain, as well as cold, shadowed regions that may contain water and other compounds. Any of these landing regions will enable us to do amazing science and make new discoveries.”

When choosing a landing site, NASA tries to find a balance between areas that are scientifically interesting and those that are safe and easier to land on. The site selectors also need to consider practicalities such as communications with Earth and what launch windows would be required to reach a site.

“Artemis III will be the first time that astronauts will land in the south polar region of the moon. They will be flying on a new lander into a terrain that is unique from our past Apollo experience,” said Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist. “Finding the right locations for this historic moment begins with identifying safe places for this first landing, and then trying to match that with opportunities for science from this new place on the moon.”

The location of water ice is particularly important for two reasons: firstly, as an object of scientific study, but also as a resource for lunar explorers. NASA has plans for long-term visits to the moon, counted in weeks or months rather than the days that have been the norm in the past, and this requires considerable resources to keep astronauts healthy. If the early missions can identify resources like available water ice, it could help sustain longer missions in the future.