Even though its launch is two years away, NASA’s Artemis III has been established as a mission of many firsts. It will land the first woman, first person of colour, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon. But in the 2026 launch, a special payload will also explore the concept of plant cultivation in the lunar environment.
How will NASA explore the possibility of cultivation on the Moon?
The US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has chosen the first science instruments designed for astronauts to deploy on the surface of the Moon during Artemis III, one of which is the Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora (LEAF). LEAF will investigate the lunar surface environment’s effects on space crops, observe plant photosynthesis, growth, and systemic stress responses in space-radiation and partial gravity.
Plant growth and development data, along with environmental parameters measured by LEAF, will help scientists understand the use of plants grown on the Moon for both human nutrition and life support on the lunar surface and beyond.
When will LEAF reach the Moon?
LEAF and other chosen payloads have been selected for further development to fly on Artemis III which aims for launch in 2026; however, final manifesting decisions about the mission will be determined later. Members of these payload teams will become members of NASA’s Artemis III science team.
Scientists may know how to make lunar soil fertile
Researchers said they have found a way to turn the inhospitable lunar soil fertile by introducing bacteria that enhance the availability of phosphorus, an important plant nutrient, Reuters reported.
In a study published in 2022, researchers in the United States grew a flowering weed called Arabidopsis thaliana in 12 thimble-sized containers, each bearing a gram of actual Moon soil collected during NASA missions more than half a century ago.
The European Space Agency (ESA) found that though lunar samples returned to Earth show sufficient essential minerals for plant growth, the soil compacts in the presence of water, creating problems for plant germination and root growth. It said in a statement that hydroponic farming is practical alternative, where plant roots are directly fed by nutrient-rich water, without the need for soil.
What are the other payloads selected for Artemis III?
The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) is a compact, autonomous seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term monitoring of the seismic environment, namely ground motion from moonquakes, in the lunar south polar region. The instrument will characterise the regional structure of the Moon’s crust and mantle, which will add valuable information to lunar formation and evolution models.
The Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA) will measure the regolith’s ability to propagate an electric field, which is a key parameter in the search for lunar volatiles, especially ice. It will gather essential information about the structure of the Moon’s subsurface, monitor dielectric changes caused by the changing angle of the Sun as the Moon rotates, and look for possible frost formation or ice deposits.
Artemis III to explore lunar south pole
Artemis III, the first mission to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon in more than 50 years, will explore the south polar region of the Moon, within 6 degrees of latitude from the South Pole. Several proposed landing regions for the mission are located among some of the oldest parts of the Moon.
Together with the permanently shadowed regions, they provide the opportunity to learn about the history of the Moon through previously unstudied lunar materials.
India got there first!
On August 23, 2023, India became the first country to land a spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, successfully on the Moon’s south pole. The solar-powered Chandrayaan-3 module had a mission life of just one lunar day, equivalent to about 14 days on Earth. The electronics were not designed to withstand the extremely cold night-time temperature on the Moon, which drops well below -200 degrees Celsius near the south pole.
Chandrayaan-3 collected some exciting new data about the Moon regarding its composition and environment. This includes a first-of-its-kind temperature profile of the lunar topsoil near the South Pole by the CHaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment) instrument.
At the end of the lunar day, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shut down the operations of all instruments a little earlier than sunset, hoping to prolong their lives.
As of January this year, Chandrayaan-3 lander Vikram was firmly established as a landmark on the Moon, after a NASA spacecraft sent laser beams to a tiny mirror-based instrument onboard Vikram, and successfully received the reflected beams.
ISRO now plans to launch Chandrayaan-4 to bring back samples from the Moon in four years, its chairperson S Somanath said while elaborating on the space agency’s Vision 2047.
With inputs from agencies
Artist’s concept of an Artemis astronaut deploying an instrument on the lunar surface. (Credit: NASA) 
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