It seems that today all organizations related to aerospace want to send their spacecraft to the south pole of the Moon.
The lunar south pole is the southernmost point on the Moon, at 90° south.
In the decades since humans last set foot on the Moon, we have discovered water ice hidden in the shadows of deep craters near the south pole of the Moon.
NASA is also serious about sending astronauts to Mars, and the agency sees the Moon as an important stepping stone on that path – both literally and figuratively.
And in fact, NASA plans to use the Moon and a lunar-orbiting space station called Gateway, as way stations for missions on the longer journey to Mars.
Other countries, notably China, India and Russia, are also eyeing the lunar south pole.
NASA’s planned Gateway space station will orbit the Moon and operate as a scientific research base and resource station for missions to Mars.
What does the male pole of the Moon have?
The south polar region of the Moon is full of craters and extremely rough terrain, very different from the relatively flat, cool lava fields that Apollo astronauts explored in the 1970s. But the craters
If you are looking to set up a base on the Moon, water ice will play a huge role.
Of course, we have all of that on Earth, but water in particular is extremely heavy and transporting it outside the Earth would be expensive in both money and fuel.
The obscured craters at the Moon’s south pole contain water ice, a useful resource for future explorers.
Future plans
China’s upcoming Chang’e-6 lander will carry equipment from France, Italy, Sweden and Pakistan.
Timeline of future missions:
2024: Astronauts will orbit the Moon on the NASA crew’s Artemis II mission.
2025: NASA will launch the first two modules of the Gateway space station.
2026: China’s unmanned Chang’e-7 mission will land near the Moon’s south pole with a lander and a drone.
2027: Russia’s Luna-26 mission (if it gets underway after the Luna-25 accident) will orbit the lunar poles.
2026-2028: India’s uncrewed Chandrayaan-4 mission, along with Japan, will land a rover near the Moon’s south pole.
2028: China’s unmanned Chang’e-8 mission will land near the lunar south pole and test technology to build 3D-printed buildings from regolith.
2029: NASA’s Artemis 5 mission will send multiple astronauts and a lunar probe to the Moon.
2029-2031: NASA will deliver four more modules to Gateway and send more astronauts to the Moon with the crewed Artemis 6 mission.
2035: China and Russia plan to establish a joint crewed Moon base called the International Lunar Research Station.
