NASA has named nine potential sites for 2026 moon landing

NASA has identified an updated set of nine potential landing regions near the Moon's South Pole for its Artemis III mission. These areas will be further explored through scientific and engineering research.

The updated list was evaluated for scientific value and mission accessibility. The revised regions of the Artemis III lunar landing were published on the nasa.gov website.

"Artemis will return humanity to the Moon and visit unexplored areas. NASA’s selection of these regions shows our commitment to landing crew safely near the lunar South Pole, where they will help uncover new scientific discoveries and learn to live on the lunar surface," said Lakiesha Hawkins, assistant deputy associate administrator, Moon to Mars Program Office.

The refined candidate Artemis III lunar landing regions are, in no priority order:

• 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 regions have a variety of geological characteristics and offer flexibility for such missions. The lunar south pole has never been explored by a crew and contains permanently shaded areas that may hold valuable resources, particularly water.

To select these landing regions, a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers analyzed the lunar south pole region using data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and a vast amount of lunar science research. Factors such as scientific potential, availability of a launch window, terrain suitability, communication capabilities with Earth, and lighting conditions were took into account. In addition, the team assessed the capabilities of the combined trajectory of the NASA SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, the Orion spacecraft and the Starship HLS (Human Landing System) to provide safe and accessible landing sites.

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