The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is on a mission to reach the Moon’s less-explored South Pole, marking a new era in lunar exploration. Their Artemis III mission, a collaboration with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is set to launch in 2026, carrying astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in over half a century. This mission holds the distinction of being the first crewed landing at the Moon’s South Pole, a region shrouded in mystery and scientific intrigue.
India’s successful Chandrayaan-3 mission last year made history by landing a spacecraft at the Moon’s South Pole, but Artemis III will take this endeavor a step further by sending humans to this uncharted territory. “Artemis III will be the first time that astronauts will land in the south polar region of the Moon,” stated Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist.
The Artemis III mission is poised to break new ground in space exploration. It will be NASA’s first crewed lunar landing since the Apollo missions, marking a significant return to the Moon after more than five decades. Moreover, it will be the first time humans will set foot on the lunar South Pole, making it a truly historic event. “NASA will make history by sending the first humans to explore the region near the lunar South Pole,” the agency proudly announced.
The Apollo missions, while momentous achievements, focused on different areas of the Moon. As Sarah Noble, Artemis lunar science lead at NASA Headquarters, pointed out, “The Moon’s South Pole is a completely different environment than where we landed during the Apollo missions.” This mission also aims to achieve another first: landing the first woman and first person of color on the Moon’s surface.
Earlier this year, the US made a significant step towards lunar exploration with the successful landing of the uncrewed Odysseus robot lander near the lunar South Pole. This marked the first lunar landing for the US since Apollo 17 and the first landing as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which aims to establish a sustainable lunar economy to support future crewed Artemis missions.
The Artemis III mission is also notable for its focus on scientific discovery. NASA has identified nine potential landing sites near the Moon’s South Pole, each offering unique geological characteristics and potential for scientific research. “Sites within each of the nine identified regions have the potential to provide key new insights into our understanding of rocky planets, lunar resources, and the history of our solar system,” explained NASA. The agency will make a final decision on the landing site after considering mission launch dates and the lunar environment at the time.
The Moon’s South Pole is emerging as a frontier for lunar exploration. NASA emphasizes that the region contains permanently shadowed areas that hold the potential for valuable resources, including water. The agency’s ambitions are aligned with China’s plans to establish a lunar base at the South Pole, which will be implemented in two phases, ultimately creating a network of nodes on the lunar surface and in orbit. The race to explore the Moon’s South Pole is on, and Artemis III is poised to play a pivotal role in this exciting new chapter in human space exploration.
