NASA identifies 9 possible landing spots for 2026 mission returning humans to the moon

NASA plans to bring humankind back to the moon, but it first needs to figure out exactly where to land.

The space agency has outlined nine potential lunar landing sites for its Artemis III mission, the agency's first planned return to the moon in over five decades. The mission, set for 2026, intends to land near the lunar south pole, where astronauts will visit unexplored areas, according to NASA.

The nine regions selected are areas where crew can safely land to help uncover new discoveries and better grasp how to live on the lunar surface, according to NASA. The agency has not determined a priority ranking for the selected regions.

For the selection process, experts considered terrain suitability, launch window availability, lighting conditions, science potential and communication capabilities with Earth, among other factors. NASA officials also considered the combined trajectory capabilities of its Space Launch System rocket, the Orion spacecraft and Starship Human Landing System.

"The Moon’s South Pole is a completely different environment than where we landed during the Apollo missions," Artemis lunar science lead Sarah Noble said in a statement. "It offers access to some of the Moon’s oldest terrain, as well as cold, shadowed regions that may contain water and other compounds. Any of these landing regions will enable us to do amazing science and make new discoveries."

What are the 9 lunar landing spots?

NASA has selected nine potential landing regions, each with its diverse geological characteristics and flexibility for mission landing. Each spot is in the lunar South Pole, which has never been explored in a crewed mission and features permanently shadowed areas that can preserve resources like water.

The following lunar sites have been considered:

• Peak near Cabeus B

• Haworth

• Malapert Massif

• Mons Mouton Plateau

• Mons Mouton

• Nobile Rim 1

• Nobile Rim 2

• de Gerlache Rim 2

• Slater Plain

When was the last human visit to the moon?

The last human to land on the moon was on Dec. 19, 1972, during NASA's Apollo 17 mission.

The astronauts on that mission were the last to visit the moon and the last to travel more than 400 miles from the Earth, according to the National Space Air and Space Museum.

Humankind first touched down on the moon on July 20, 1969, on the Apollo 11 mission, in which Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the moon.

Artemis III, which will send two astronauts to the surface of the moon, is scheduled for September 2026. Artemis II, which will send astronauts around the moon, is slated for September 2025.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASA identifies 9 possible landing spots for 2026 moon visit