Ocean of hidden water on the moon triggers new space race

The race for space is hotting up again for the first time since the 1960s, and it’s all down to an abundance of hidden water on the Moon – which could be essential for the future of lunar exploration.

Now, countries are attempting to reach the unexplored part of the southern hemisphere of the moon in a bid to find water.

Transporting water from Earth to the moon is incredibly costly, coming in at a staggering $1.2 million per litre.

So, if there’s already a source of water on the moon that can be used for everything from hydrating crew members to extracting oxygen and fuelling aircraft then it makes things a whole lot easier and cheaper.

There’s a great deal planned over the next few years when it comes to space missions. Nasa is due to launch a craft to land on the south pole by 2026.

Water on the moon could change the approach to lunar exploration (iStock)

Elsewhere, the European Space Agency plans to launch its Airline 6 rocket this year and Russia, China, India and Japan are also planning to send astronauts to the southern region of the moon in 2026.

For decades there were no indications that the moon held water, but that changed when Nasa discovered traces of hydroxyl, which often indicates water.

The moon’s equator, which is the area most crews have landed on since the first landing in 1969, is thought to be too hot to host water as temperatures reach 120 degrees Celsius during the day.

However, the temperatures on the poles of the moon could feature frozen water as temperatures there get as low as -230 degrees Celsius.

Experts believe that it won’t be all that long before there are human settlements on the Moon and Nasa stepped up its lunar exploration efforts with the (ultimately unsuccessful) commercial Peregrine mission launching last month.

The search for water is the latest development in lunar study after scientists warned that the Moon is getting smaller, and it could have major impacts on future missions to the lunar surface.

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