Abstract The lunar south pole features permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) that never receive direct sunlight. These regions maintain cold temperatures that potentially trap and accumulate volatiles over geologic timescales. Within NASA's Artemis candidate landing regions, we identified 130 candidate landing sites (CLSs) that satisfy the Human Landing System's requirements and provide access to PSRs located within 2 km, the current radial limit for astronauts without a rover. We modeled illumination conditions for these sites during the midsummers from 2025 to 2032 to ensure they remain sunlit throughout 6.5 days, the nominal duration of the first Artemis surface missions. The modeling revealed significant temporal and spatial variability in illumination among the Artemis landing regions. Thus, depending on the launch year, different landing sites will be available. Additionally, we approximated the volatile content in accessible PSRs by combining Diviner‐derived temperature data with model ages of PSR‐hosting craters estimated using a topographic diffusion model. The model suggests 85% of PSR‐hosting craters near CLSs are younger than 1,500 Ma. Cumulative volatile estimates vary greatly among different CLSs and are largely controlled by surface temperature and PSR age; colder and/or older PSRs have the greatest volatile trapping and preservation potential. Although some landing sites have PSRs potentially containing significant amounts of water, key factors such as volatile depth remain uncertain, making their in situ resource utilization potential difficult to assess. Our study will provide critical input for Artemis landing site selection and preparation for future missions that utilize the Moon's resources for scientific and exploratory purposes.
Wueller et al. (Fri,) studied this question.