Lunar South Pole resources drive competition between NASA and China

The race for lunar dominance is centering on the Moon's South Pole, where water ice deposits located in permanently shadowed regions (PSR) offer vital resources for oxygen, water, and fuel. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has expressed concerns regarding access, noting that the specific areas where ice deposits coincide with sunlit ridges for solar power are extremely limited—comparable in size to Washington, D.C., despite the Moon's vast surface area.

China's Chang'e 7 mission, currently scheduled for early 2027, aims to reach these strategic locations. This competition is mirrored by the rivalry between NASA's Artemis program and the China-Russia International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).

Research from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics suggests that while energy from solar peaks may be abundant, water scarcity remains a critical bottleneck. Even under generous estimates, polar ice may not be sufficient to sustain a city of one million inhabitants for more than a century.