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Here’s where NASA will land astronauts on the moon

By Georgina Torbet Published September 20, 2023

A new image of the moon’s far side shows the region selected for the landing of NASA’s Artemis III mission, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years. The mission will be to the moon’s south pole, a region of particular scientific interest because it is thought to host water ice in permanently shadowed craters.

NASA has partnered with National Geographic to release a mosaic image of the Shackleton Crater, located at the moon’s south pole. The image of the crater was captured using NASA’s ShadowCam instrument on the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter spacecraft, with additional images of the surrounding area coming from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. It’s one of the permanently shadowed craters in the region, meaning it could potentially hold water ice. The crater is also close to several of the potential landing sites.

Shrouded in permanent darkness, the interior of Shackleton crater near the moon’s south pole is revealed in this stunning mosaic. The crater itself was captured by ShadowCam, a NASA instrument designed to peer into the shadowy parts of the lunar surface that has been orbiting the moon for almost a year on the South Korean spacecraft Danuri. The surrounding areas were imaged by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. Portions of three of the 13 potential landing regions for astronauts during Artemis III can be seen in this image. — Shrouded in permanent darkness, the interior of Shackleton Crater near the moon’s south pole is revealed in this mosaic. The crater itself was captured by ShadowCam, a NASA instrument designed to peer into the shadowy parts of the lunar surface that has been orbiting the moon for almost a year on the South Korean spacecraft Danuri. The surrounding areas were imaged by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. Portions of three of the 13 potential landing regions for Artemis III astronauts can be seen in this image. Mosaic by NASA, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Arizona State University

Water ice is rare on the moon as it most often evaporates when the surface it is on faces the sun. However, there are some impact craters around the south pole that the sun’s rays never reach, making them permanently shadowed. It is thought that water ice could persist in these craters, which gives the opportunity for both scientific research and practical resource gathering for crewed missions.

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“If there is water ice there, then that water ice can be recovered and it can be used for astronaut consumables, it can be used to shield astronauts from harmful space radiation, and the water can be used for rocket propellant,” David Kring, a planetary scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, told National Geographic.

Last year, NASA shared the 13 candidate locations for the Artemis III landing, all of which are close to the lunar south pole and shown below:

Shown here is a rendering of 13 candidate landing regions for Artemis III. Each region is approximately 9.3 by 9.3 miles (15 by 15 kilometers). A landing site is a location within those regions with an approximate 328-foot (100-meter) radius. — Shown here is a rendering of 13 candidate landing regions for Artemis III. Each region is approximately 9.3 by 9.3 miles (15 by 15 kilometers). A landing site is a location within those regions with an approximate 328-foot (100-meter) radius. NASA

Ahead of Artemis III, which is scheduled for 2025, NASA plans to first send a crewed mission around the moon called Artemis II and a lunar rover called VIPER that will search for ice deposits. Both of those missions are set for launch next year.

Georgina Torbet

Former Space Writer

Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…

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

An artist’s concept of an Artemis astronaut deploying an instrument on the lunar surface.

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.

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“Once the storm passes, recovery teams will assess the safety of the spaceport and the launch processing facilities for damage before personnel return to work,” NASA said in a post on social media on Sunday, adding in another message: “Teams have secured the spacecraft in SpaceX’s hangar at NASA Kennedy.”