Addressing the Environmental Challenges and Infrastructure Needs of the Lunar South Pole

NASA’s Moon Base is establishing an enduring human presence at the lunar South Pole. The Moon Base will be a home for Artemis astronauts and a nexus of robotic activities. While the lunar South Pole is one of the most scientifically interesting and resource-abundant parts of the Moon, it also introduces a new environment with both opportunities and challenges to consider. These include a unique lighting environment, dramatic topography, varied terrain, and more. In addition to the natural environment, exploration creates an induced environment in which equipment, landing zones, and human factors create additional challenges. NASA’s Moon Base strategy enables
sustained exploration and a progressive buildup of capabilities in this harsh environment. Essential infrastructure for an ongoing human presence includes habitation, mobility, power, logistics, and more. These pieces must work together in a cohesive systems architecture to enable the United States’ ambitious goals for lunar exploration. To realize these ambitions, NASA and its partners are building an evolutionary exploration architecture that achieves these capabilities. The architecture leverages industry and international partnerships to enable the breadth and demand of capabilities while ensuring exploration robustness. By demonstrating these systems and operations, the Moon Base will serve as proving ground for the technologies and operational capabilities needed to send the first humans to Mars and realize scientific and economic benefits here on Earth.