NASA study reveals Moon is shrinking due to interior cooling

A study published in The Planetary Science Journal, involving NASA, the Smithsonian Institution, and Intuitive Machines, has provided the most precise estimate to date regarding the Moon's shrinking radius. Researchers determined that the Moon's radius has decreased by approximately 45 meters over the last 400 to 800 million years.

By analyzing data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists identified more than 10,000 young fault movements across the lunar surface. This contraction is driven by the gradual cooling of the Moon's interior. Unlike Earth, which possesses a mosaic of over 15 tectonic plates, the Moon consists of a single continuous plate. Consequently, lunar quakes can occur anywhere on its surface.

The estimated rate of shrinkage is between 6 and 11 centimeters per million years. While this rate is significantly slower than Earth's plate movements, the high number of detected faults presents potential challenges for future lunar exploration. NASA is currently planning to deploy basic infrastructure for a lunar base between 2029 and 2032, and these geological findings may impact the selection of stable locations for such missions.