Chandrayaan-2 reveals water buried on the Moon for billions of years is stable

Published in Nature, the study focusses on the Moon's south polar region, where deep craters remain in permanent darkness, and temperatures plunge below −160°C.

In Short

• International study reveals stable water ice in Moon’s shadowed craters
• Research focuses on Moon’s south polar region with extreme cold
• 74% of permanently shadowed regions remain largely undisturbed by impacts

A new international study involving researchers from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) has revealed that water ice deposits in the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) are far more stable than previously believed, offering a major boost to future human exploration plans.

Published in Nature, the study focuses on the Moon’s south polar region, where deep craters remain in permanent darkness, and temperatures plunge below 160°C.

These extreme conditions allow water ice to accumulate and persist for billions of years, making PSRs prime targets for missions such as Nasa’s Artemis programme and future Isro-led lunar expeditions.

Using high-resolution orbital imagery and impact modelling, the research team mapped millions of tiny craters, ranging from one to 20 metres in size, across PSRs between 85° and 90° south latitude.

These small impacts were thought to pose a significant threat to the stability of ice deposits by churning the surface and potentially causing sublimation.

However, the findings challenge that assumption.

The study estimates that nearly 74% of permanently shadowed regions remain largely undisturbed by such impacts. While micrometeorite collisions do alter the surface locally, their effects are limited in scale and do not significantly disrupt large ice reservoirs.

“This suggests that lunar water ice is more resilient than we expected,” the researchers note, adding that impacts may even play a beneficial role by exposing buried ice layers, making them more accessible for future missions.

The implications are significant. Stable ice deposits could serve as a critical resource for sustained human presence on the Moon, providing drinking water, breathable oxygen, and even hydrogen fuel for rockets.

This aligns with long-term goals of establishing a lunar base and enabling deeper space exploration.

The study suggests that small craters in these dark regions may have disturbed the ice buried below the surface. It also says that in areas without craters, natural surface churning (called “gardening”) can mix the ice vertically, bringing it closer to the top. This makes such places good targets for future missions to explore and use lunar ice.

The study also points to the importance of international collaboration, combining datasets from multiple lunar missions, including India’s Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, along with advanced simulation techniques.

For India, the findings strengthen the scientific foundation for upcoming lunar missions and reinforce the country’s growing role in planetary research.

As space agencies race toward the Moon’s south pole, this research offers a reassuring conclusion: the Moon’s frozen reserves may be more dependable and more valuable than ever imagined.

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