China hunts for lunar ice in one of solar system’s coldest places

WHY THE SOUTH POLE?

Craters near the moon’s south pole have not seen sunlight in billions of years. As such, scientists think they could act as deep freezers capable of preserving ancient water and volatile organic compounds.

Temperatures can drop to as low as -203°C in some of this shadowed terrain, according to NASA.

Finding accessible water is crucial for future lunar bases as it could provide drinking water, oxygen for astronauts, and even serve as raw rocket propellant, reducing the need for costly resupply missions from Earth.

Unlike most areas of the moon, where one lunar night is as long as 14 Earth days, the high peaks and crater rims near the south pole receive near-constant sunlight and would serve as an ideal location for a lunar outpost with a relatively stable thermal climate and continuous supply of solar power. The United States, India and Russia have also set their targets on the moon’s south pole. Only India landed nearby with its Chandrayaan-3 in 2023.

Over the coming years, NASA’s VIPER rover, the European Space Agency’s PROSPECT drilling package, and the Japan-India LUPEX rover are expected to arrive at the moon’s south pole, as the race to find water sources intensifies.