NASA selected possible areas for astronauts to land on the moon

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the U.S. has selected 13 possible areas for the future landing of astronauts on the moon in the program Artemis.

It is noted that all the areas are located near the South Pole of the satellite. They included the edge of Faustini Crater, the elevation at Shackleton Crater, several locations on the edge of De Gerlach Crater, Malapert Crater, several locations on the edge of Nobile Crater and other locations.

“Each area has a number of potential locations for astronauts to land in the third phase of the Artemis program, which will be the first mission in which the crew will land on the surface of the moon, including the first woman to set foot on the surface of the moon there,” the statement said.

The agency stressed that the specific landing site will depend on the choice of the starting window. In this regard, the decision will be made after the final dates of the flight are determined.

NASA announced in the spring of 2019 that the program of landing astronauts on the moon, called Artemis, includes three stages. The first is the launch of the Orion spacecraft into space using the new Space Launch System rocket, which will make several turns around the Moon in unmanned mode and return to Earth. The second – a flight around the natural satellite of the Earth with the crew on board, which is scheduled for 2023. At the third stage in 2025, NASA expects to deliver astronauts to the Moon, and then send them to Mars in the mid-2030s.