A major new international study has found that water ice locked inside the Moon’s permanently shadowed craters has remained remarkably stable for billions of years — good news for future human missions planning to use it as a resource.
Published today in the journal Nature, the research was led by scientists from India’s Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER). The team used high-resolution data from India’s Chandrayaan-2 orbiter to study the Moon’s south polar region, where deep craters never see sunlight and temperatures drop below –160°C.
These extreme conditions act like a natural deep freezer, allowing water ice to build up and survive for billions of years without evaporating. That makes the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) — especially between 85° and 90° south latitude — prime targets for NASA’s Artemis programme and upcoming Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lunar missions.
Earlier models suggested that constant small meteorite impacts would constantly churn the surface, exposing and destroying the ice through a process called sublimation. To test this, the researchers mapped millions of tiny craters (just 1 to 20 metres across) using detailed orbital images and advanced impact simulations.
What they discovered was surprising: nearly 74% of the permanently shadowed areas have been left largely untouched by these small impacts. While micrometeorites do disturb the top layer in some spots, the effect is very local and doesn’t threaten the large, deeper ice deposits.
“This suggests that lunar water ice is more resilient than we expected,” the researchers explain. In fact, the impacts may even help future explorers by exposing buried ice layers that would otherwise stay hidden.
The study also highlights another helpful natural process called “gardening” — the slow mixing of lunar soil over time. In areas without recent craters, this gentle churning can bring ice closer to the surface, making it easier to access without heavy digging.
For astronauts, this stable ice is a game-changer. It could supply drinking water, breathable oxygen, and even hydrogen for rocket fuel — all produced on the Moon instead of being carried from Earth. That’s a critical step toward building a sustainable lunar base and supporting longer deep-space missions.
The research stands out for its strong international collaboration. Scientists combined Chandrayaan-2’s precise data with information from other lunar missions and cutting-edge modelling techniques. For India, the findings reinforce the scientific value of its Chandrayaan programme and strengthen the country’s growing leadership in planetary exploration.
