China is racing against the U.S. to land astronauts on the Moon, with hopes to achieve this feat before the end of the decade. A new study presents a strong candidate for China’s future landing site, characterizing it as “a prime piece of lunar real estate.”
The study, published Monday in Nature Astronomy, evaluated the Moon’s Rimae Bode region. This volcanic area is located on the near side close to the lunar equator and is one of 14 candidate landing regions selected from an initial list of 106. Corresponding author Jun Huang, a professor at the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, describes it as a unique area where the Moon’s vast volcanic plains meet its rugged mountain highlands.
“Because it sits in this central, open location, it offers a direct line of sight to Earth for easy communication and receives plenty of sunlight,” Huang told Gizmodo in an email. These characteristics make the region ideal for a crewed landing, but it also comes with incredible scientific advantages, according to the study.
This location is nowhere near where NASA wants to land astronauts in a few years’ time. The agency is aiming for the south pole region, where important water deposits may be hiding in permanently shadowed craters. While China has its own plans to investigate those mysterious, potentially precious areas, its main goal is simply to get astronauts to the Moon for the first time. To achieve this, it has taken an approach reminiscent of NASA’s Apollo program.
Mapping Rimae Bode
Huang and his colleagues analyzed imagery and data gathered by a host of lunar spacecraft to hunt for flat “parking spaces” across a targeted area of the Rimae Bode region. They specifically looked for well-sunlit locations in clear view of Earth with gentle slopes of less than 8 degrees.
The researchers then pinpointed four potential landing sites, each within a short, safe driving distance (about 5 miles, or 8 kilometers) of “lunar treasures,” as Huang calls them. These treasures include scientifically valuable resources and geological features, such as ancient volcanic ash, crater debris, and dark volcanic glass deposits.
“This careful evaluation ensures that once astronauts touch down, they can safely and easily reach a wide variety of samples to help us solve the mysteries of the Moon’s deep history,” he explained.
A scientific treasure trove
Huang emphasized that the China National Space Agency has not yet confirmed the research objectives for its crewed lunar landing and that his team’s interest in Rimae Bode does not represent the interests of CNSA. Still, the study provides compelling evidence for the scientific value of this region.
“The Rimae Bode region is a scientific ‘treasure chest’ because it offers a rare all-in-one look at the Moon’s internal and external history,” Huang said. For example, the volcanic glass deposits act as a direct window into the Moon’s deep interior, providing clues about the composition of its mantle that are difficult to find elsewhere, he explained.
The area also contains diverse geological features, including ancient lava plains, volcanic rilles (long, narrow channels formed by past lava flows), and debris left over from asteroid impacts. These valuable scientific resources will allow researchers to construct a precise timeline of the violent events that shaped not just the Moon but the early solar system, Huang said.
Landing astronauts in Rimae Bode could therefore help CNSA achieve several scientific goals, according to the study. In addition to characterizing the structure and composition of the lunar interior and charting the bombardment history of the early solar system, these potential objectives include documenting the diversity of rocks in the Moon’s crust, investigating volatile materials near the lunar poles, studying the Moon’s volcanic history, and more.
Huang declined to comment on the next steps he and his colleagues will take to investigate their four sites and narrow them down further but said they do have a plan for future study of the Rimae Bode region. CNSA also plans to launch several missions aimed at identifying other promising landing areas. One such mission is Chang’e 7, a multi-spacecraft exploration of the lunar south pole that will investigate permanently shadowed craters—such as the Shackleton crater—that may contain water ice.
As China and the U.S. vie for first dibs on prime lunar real estate and resources, studies like Huang’s underscore the fact that NASA has some serious competition. Once each nation finally selects its landing site, the only question that will remain is: Who will get there first?
Related article: Lunar Orbiter Captures Stunning View of Possible Artemis Landing Site
