NASA Unveils Nine Potential Landing Regions for Artemis III Moon Mission

NASA
has
given
nine
possible
landing
regions
for
its
upcoming
Artemis
III
mission.
This
mission
will
mark
humanity’s
first
crewed
journey
to
the
Moon
in
over
fifty
years.
The
selected
regions
are
located
near
the
lunar
South
Pole,
an
area
rich
in
scientific
potential.
The
lunar
South
Pole
is
a
crucial
target
for
exploration.
According
to
Lakiesha
Hawkins
from
NASA,
the
aim
is
to
land
astronauts
safely
while
enabling
them
to
make
important
scientific
discoveries.
The
regions
chosen
for
Artemis
III
will
be
studied
further
to
ensure
mission
success.

NASA’s
Cross
Agency
Site
Selection
Analysis
team
worked
alongside
various
partners
to
assess
these
regions.
They
examined
many
factors,
including
the
scientific
value
of
each
site
and
their
overall
feasibility.

The
Nine
Candidate
Regions
Details

The
nine
regions
identified
for
Artemis
III
include:

• Peak
  near
  Cabeus
  B
• Haworth
• Malapert
  Massif
• Mons
  Mouton
  Plateau
• Mons
  Mouton
• Nobile
  Rim
  1
• Nobile
  Rim
  2
• de
  Gerlache
  Rim
  2
• Slater
  Plain

These
sites
have
different
geological
features.
These
difference
provides
flexibility
for
mission
planning.
The
lunar
South
Pole
has
never
been
explored
by
humans
before.
It
contains
areas
that
are
permanently
shadowed,
possibly
holding
essential
resources
like
water.

Opportunities
for
Scientific
Discovery

The
Artemis
mission
is
very
different
from
past
lunar
missions,
especially
the
Apollo
missions.
Sarah
Noble,
who
leads
lunar
science
for
Artemis,
noted
that
the
South
Pole
gives
access
to
some
of
the
Moon’s
oldest
terrain.
This
terrain
could
have
cold
areas
that
contain
water
and
other
significant
materials.

To
select
these
regions,
NASA
used
data
from
the
Lunar
Reconnaissance
Orbiter.
They
also
reviewed
existing
lunar
research.
For
their
selection
they
took
in
account
factors
scientific
opportunities,
terrain
suitability
and
the
timing
of
launch
windows.

NASA
plans
to
involve
the
lunar
science
community
in
its
work.
Conferences
and
workshops
will
help
gather
data
and
create
geological
maps
of
the
proposed
landing
sites.

The
assessments
will
not
stop
with
Artemis
III.
Future
missions,
such
as
Artemis
IV
and
Artemis
V,
will
also
benefit
from
this
ongoing
research.
NASA
will
announce
the
exact
landing
sites
for
Artemis
III
after
finalising
the
mission’s
launch
dates.
This
decision
is
vital
for
planning
safe
landing
paths
and
understanding
the
conditions
astronauts
will
face.