Could the Moon be hiding more ice than we thought? New data from India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission suggests just that.
Researchers discovered that slight variations in surface temperature, influenced by slope angles, could allow ice to exist just below the surface in many more places than expected—especially in the polar regions. This revelation could be game-changing for future lunar missions, making water more accessible for astronauts. With NASA’s Artemis program targeting the south pole, these findings may shape the future of lunar exploration and even habitation.
Hidden Ice: More Widespread Than Expected
New data suggests that ice may exist just a few centimeters beneath the Moon’s surface in more areas of the lunar polar regions than previously believed. This is due to significant but highly localized variations in surface temperatures. The findings, published today (March 6) in Communications Earth & Environment, are based on direct surface measurements taken in 2023 by India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission.
The presence of ice is crucial for future long-term exploration and potential human habitation of the Moon, as it could provide a local source of water. Ice formation is directly influenced by surface temperatures, but until now, the only direct temperature readings from the Moon came from the Apollo missions in the 1970s. However, those missions landed near the equator — thousands of kilometers from the proposed sites for future crewed missions — where the terrain is relatively flat and less affected by temperature variations.
Chandrayaan-3’s Groundbreaking Findings
Durga Prasad and colleagues analyzed temperature readings from Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander, which carried the ChaSTE temperature probe. The lander touched down near the Moon’s south pole (around 69° south) and recorded surface and subsurface temperatures down to a depth of 10 centimeters. They found that on a Sun-facing slope angled at 6°, temperatures reached a peak of 355 Kelvin (82°C) during the day and dropped to 105 Kelvin (-168°C) at night. However, a flat region just one meter away from the lander recorded a lower peak temperature of 332 Kelvin (59°C), suggesting that even small differences in terrain can significantly affect lunar temperatures.
How Lunar Slopes May Hold More Ice
The authors used the collected data to derive a model of how slope angle affects surface temperature at high lunar latitudes similar to the landing site. The model indicated that, for slopes facing away from the Sun and towards the nearest pole, a slope with a greater than 14° angle may be cool enough for ice to accumulate close to the surface.
This is similar to conditions at the lunar poles, including those at the proposed landing sites for NASA’s manned Artemis missions near the lunar south pole. The authors therefore suggest that areas on the Moon where ice can form may be more numerous and easier to access than previously thought.
Reference: “Higher surface temperatures near south polar region of the Moon measured by ChaSTE experiment on-board Chandrayaan-3” by Durga Prasad K, Chandan Kumar, Ambily G, Kalyana Reddy P, Sanjeev K. Mishra, Janmejay Kumar, Dinakar Prasad Vajja, Aasik V, Tinkal Ladiya, Arpit Patel, Murty S.V.S., Anil Bhardwaj and Amitabh, 6 March 2025, Communications Earth & Environment.
DOI: 10.1038/s43247-025-02114-6
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