The NASA has selected nine regions near the Moon’s South Pole as potential landing sites for astronauts on Artemis III, an international mission set for 2026. This mission aims to return humanity to the lunar surface more than fifty years after the Apollo program.
Selection Process
Following years of scientific studies and analyses of images captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, initial interest from NASA experts focused on thirteen regions, announced in 2022. This list has since been refined to highlight the most promising sites.
Candidate Landing Sites
The newly updated list includes:
- The peak near the Cabeus B crater
- Haworth crater
- The massif of Malapert crater
- Mouton Mountain and its plateau
- Two areas along the edge of Nobile crater
- The rim of de Gerlache crater
- Slater plain
These candidate regions were selected based on several factors, including landing safety, lighting conditions, communication capabilities with Earth, geological features, and scientific interest.
Next Steps
In the coming months, NASA will collect data to create detailed maps and evaluate the regional geology of these potential landing sites, with involvement from the international scientific community.
Importance of the South Pole
“The South Pole of the Moon presents a completely different environment from where we landed during the Apollo missions,” says Sarah Noble, Artemis Chief Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “It offers access to some of the Moon’s oldest terrains, as well as cold, shadowed regions that may contain water and other compounds. Each of these landing regions will enable us to conduct extraordinary science and make new discoveries.”
Conclusion
The Artemis III mission represents a significant step forward in lunar exploration, with the potential to unlock new knowledge about the Moon’s geology and resources. As NASA prepares for this historic journey, the excitement within the scientific community continues to grow.