NASA plans to launch a vehicle to the moon in 2023

The US Space Agency plans to send a spacecraft to the moon in 2023 to search for water sources, to prepare for the implementation of the plan to establish a manned lunar station, and it had previously sent a device to study the lunar surface earlier.

It is worth noting that this will be the first study of the south pole of the moon by a vehicle sent from Earth. Dubbed VIPER, the spacecraft will operate for 100 days on the lunar surface and map the region's water reserves. Experts have chosen a mountainous area for the landing of VIPER near Noble Crater in Antarctica, which will ensure the quality of communications with the ground.

The diversity of the terrain of this area will also allow the vehicle to study shaded craters where the temperature does not exceed minus 240 degrees Celsius, while the temperature in areas that reach the sun's rays reaches minus 18 degrees Celsius. The probe, which orbits the moon, helped scientists determine the possibility of a huge reserve of water in the South Pole. But he did not specify their locations, and this is what VIPER will do.

The search for water on the surface of the moon is not intended to confirm the existence of life, but because this water is necessary for the colonists of the moon, and to produce fuel for future trips to Mars. NASA plans to build an orbital station near the moon, as a transfer station for space explorers, thanks to which they can launch to the Red Planet in the thirties of this century.

But as it is known, interplanetary space flights require a huge amount of fuel, which is difficult to transport from Earth. Therefore, experts are studying the possibility of obtaining fuel from water on the moon's surface, by separating water molecules into atoms of oxygen and hydrogen, which ensures a large amount of energy. NASA also plans to build a national space station, because the mission to the International Space Station is likely to end at the end of the decade. Therefore, it plans to select four private companies that offer the best bids for the construction of this station.