NASA Artemis Mission Confirms Vast Reserves of Water Ice on the Moon

Washington: NASA's Artemis 4 mission has made a discovery that experts are calling 'the most consequential find in human space exploration' - vast, accessible reserves of water ice locked two kilometres below the lunar south pole.

Analysis confirms that the ice deposit is equivalent to approximately 600 billion litres of water, enough to sustain a permanent lunar colony of 1,000 people for over a century.

The water can be electrolysed into hydrogen and oxygen on-site, providing both breathable air and rocket propellant. This effectively makes the Moon an interplanetary refuelling station.

NASA plans to establish a permanent crewed outpost - the Lunar Gateway Surface Base - at the south pole by 2035, using the water discovery as the cornerstone of its long-term presence strategy.

The finding also accelerates Mars mission planning: a Moon base could reduce the cost of a crewed Mars expedition by up to 40%, according to JPL calculations released alongside the mission report.