After Artemis II success, NASA-backed study targets nonpolar sites for future crewed moon missions

Fresh off the success of Artemis II, NASA is moving to define its next steps on the moon — and scientists are being asked to chart the course. A NASA-sponsored study now underway aims to identify the most compelling nonpolar landing sites for future crewed missions and to spell out the science those expeditions could deliver.

The panel’s report, expected later this year, is co-chaired by Daniel Dumbacher, a professor of engineering practice at Purdue University who helped lead development of the Artemis campaign, and James Day, a geochemist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. They say Artemis II’s momentum has sharpened the urgency of choosing where to go next and why.

“There’s clearly a hunger out there for something new — for watching humans go beyond where we’ve been before,” Dumbacher said, adding that the program’s progress reflects years of work. As Artemis astronauts documented the moon’s far side, their real-time observations added context that complemented instrument data — a demonstration, he said, of how human presence accelerates discovery.

“That human perspective is everything,” Day said. “The ability of trained observers to describe what they’re seeing adds insight you simply can’t get from images alone.” Beyond collecting measurements, he added, astronauts can interpret complex environments on the spot, helping translate raw data into scientific understanding.

and work in space. “To really understand the moon, you have to go to multiple locations,” Day said. “If you only study one type of terrain, you’re only seeing part of the picture.” The committee is weighing sites that could illuminate how the solar system formed and evolved, enable novel approaches to astronomy and heliophysics, and help assess how crews stay healthy and use local resources during missions.

“By going to multiple locations, that’s how we’re going to learn,” Dumbacher said. “It’s how we understand what’s there and how we can use it.” He also sees the public response to Artemis II as a broader shift: “Across generations, people are getting excited again about what we’re doing.” NASA plans to launch more lunar missions soon.

The study’s recommendations are intended to guide those decisions, outlining high-value nonpolar destinations and the science objectives that could define the next phase of human exploration on the moon.