The next American landing site on the moon has been identified by NASA

The Artemis program will send astronauts to the Moon at 13 candidate landing sites near the lunar South Pole. Artemis III will be the first Artemis mission to bring astronauts to the lunar surface, including the first woman.

Choosing these regions means we are one giant step closer to bringing humans back to the Moon. A deputy associate administrator at NASA Headquarters in Washington, Mark Kirasich, says the mission will be unlike any other as astronauts explore dark areas previously unexplored and lay the groundwork for long-term stays.

They cover a range of geological features within six degrees of latitude of the lunar South Pole. Together, the regions provide landing options for Artemis III missions. Due to the tight relationship between specific landing sites and the timing of the launch window, multiple regions enable flexibility throughout the year.

In preparation for NASA's Artemis III mission, 13 candidate landing sites near the Moon's South Pole have been identified. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, showing the locations of all 13 lunar regions and highlighting their exploration potential.

Data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, decades of publications, and lunar science findings were used to select the regions.

Additionally, the team considered landing conditions and terrain slope as well as ease of communication with Earth. In addition to the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and Starship human landing system, the team considered accessibility.

As the regions are near the lunar South Pole, they contain permanently shadowed regions rich in resources and terrain unexplored by humans.

These proposed sites, along with permanently shadowed regions, offer the chance to gain a deeper understanding of the Moon's history, according to Sarah Noble, NASA Planetary Science Division Artemis lunar science lead.

As well as landing close enough to a permanently shadowed region to allow the crew to perform a moonwalk, the analysis team also weighed disturbance during the landing.

Astronauts will be able to collect samples and conduct scientific analysis in an uncompromised area, which will provide information about water ice depth, distribution, and composition. To identify moonwalk-ready regions, the team made sure it was near permanently shadowed regions, as well as taking into account other lighting conditions.

The Artemis III surface mission is scheduled to last 6.5 days, so all 13 regions have access to sunlight. Sunlight provides power and minimizes temperature variations, so access to it is critical for long-term moon dwellers.

As NASA's chief exploration scientist, Jacob Bleacher said, 'Developing a blueprint for exploring the solar system means preserving its scientific integrity while using resources available to us.

It is valuable from both a scientific and a resource perspective because it can be used for oxygen and hydrogen in life support systems. Through conferences and workshops, NASA will solicit input from the science and engineering communities on the relative merits of the 13 regions.

NASA may use this feedback to identify additional sites to consider in the future. SpaceX will be consulted to confirm Starship's landing capability and assess options.

As NASA determines the launch dates of Artemis III, it will identify launch sites within regions. A stepping stone for future astronaut missions to Mars, Artemis will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon.