The Moon may host vast reserves of platinum-group metals and water, offering new possibilities for space exploration and mining industries. A new study estimates that thousands of impact craters on the Moon could contain valuable metals. These metals include platinum, palladium, and rhodium.
Researchers also found that some craters may hold water in hydrated minerals. This finding is crucial for sustaining human exploration on the lunar surface.
Asteroids as the source of lunar wealth
Many asteroids are rich in metals, particularly platinum-group metals, but reaching them in space presents extreme technical and logistical challenges. By contrast, asteroids that have already struck the Moon may have deposited minerals safely in crater centers. These impacts have formed concentrated deposits over time.
Jayanth Chennamangalam and his team analyzed lunar craters to determine which might contain metallic and hydrated asteroid remnants.
Estimating mineral-rich craters
The research suggests up to 6,500 craters larger than one kilometer could contain platinum-group metals. However, ores may be finely dispersed in lunar soil. By concentrating on larger craters with central peaks, it becomes evident where materials are most likely concentrated. This focus reduces the number of key targets to about 38.
Similarly, up to 3,350 craters over one kilometer may contain water, with 20 larger craters showing concentrated hydrated mineral deposits.
Advantages of lunar mining over asteroid mining
The Moon offers predictable orbital stability and is much easier to reach than near-Earth asteroids, which are scarce and difficult to navigate. Mining on Earth is limited by finite resources, environmental damage, and pollution, making space-based alternatives increasingly attractive for sustainable resource extraction.
Water on the Moon could also support human missions, reducing the need to transport or recycle large quantities from Earth.
Challenges ahead
Even with statistical estimates, accessing metals and water on the Moon will be technically demanding due to dispersion through the regolith and harsh environmental conditions.
Researchers suggest remote sensing from lunar orbit as a cost-effective method to identify high-priority craters before attempting complex and expensive lander missions. This approach allows precise targeting of mineral-rich craters while minimizing financial and operational risks in initial lunar mining efforts.
The future of lunar resource exploration
The Moon may represent a more achievable starting point for space mining than distant asteroids, providing both metals and water for exploration missions. Identifying and accessing these resources could support industrial applications, space infrastructure development, and future long-term human settlement on the Moon.
As technology and remote sensing improve, lunar mining may become a critical step toward sustainable space resource utilization in the coming decades.
The research has been published in Planetary and Space Science.
