NASA has published an updated list of possible landing sites for its Artemis III mission near the Moon’s South Pole, which will mark the first time in half a century that humans will set foot on the moon’s surface again.
Image source: prnewswire.com
The American space agency has been hatching plans to return man to the Moon for decades. In 2019, the corresponding program was named Artemis, and in 2022 it became clear that the landing would be carried out in the South Pole area. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) helped NASA analyze data and select 13 possible landing sites; Now the agency has clarified this list – the launch of the mission with landing is currently planned for 2026.
Of the positions previously present on this list, the following remain: the edges of the Nobile crater (Nobile Rim 1 and Nobile Rim 2), the edge of the De Gerlache crater (de Gerlache Rim 2), the Malapert Massif and Haworth craters. The new ones include: Peak near Cabeus B, Mons Mouton Plateau and Mons Mouton and Slater Plain.
The new landing sites were selected by a “multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers” who used data from LRO and other sources as input. Landing sites were assessed in terms of scientific potential, available launch window, terrain suitability, ability to communicate with Earth, lighting conditions and safety.
Last year, the Indian apparatus Chandrayaan-3 landed near the South Pole of the Moon, and this year the Chinese Chang’e 6 landed. This region is of interest because it is believed to contain resources capable of supporting human presence, particularly water ice. The crew of Artemis III will be up to four people. The Space Launch System launch vehicle will send them on the Orion spacecraft, and they will land on the Moon on the SpaceX Starship Human Landing System. The mission to the lunar surface will last about a week.