Washington, Jun 1 (ANI): Recent investigations by NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) satellite revealed in late 2009 that massive amounts of water-ice can be found at the lunar south pole.
Researchers and astronomers at the European Space Agency (ESA) are already planning a mission to the location to find out where the water comes from.
"We certainly don't know where the water comes from until we get down there and do more experiments. That's why the Lunar Lander is so important," notes Colin Pillinger, professor of planetary science at the Open University in the UK.
Finding the right landing site is also crucial for science. "You have to go to the exact places where we think these valuable resources might be concentrated," he said.
Expected to be launched in 2018, the unmanned craft will land near the lunar South Pole.
The lander's scientific consignment addresses a number of key aspects of the unique environment on the Moon: radiation, dust and volatiles.
In ESA's Bruno Gardini's words, "It is the mission that will provide Europe with the planetary landing technology of the future."
The lunar south pole region is one of the possible reservoirs of the volatile materials. (ANI)
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