A billion-year secret: How Lunar ice could turn the Moon into a Space ‘gas station', provide fuel for Mars trip

Scientists have long focused on the Moon’s polar regions, where water ice lies trapped in permanently shadowed craters. A new study published in Nature Astronomy confirms that this ice has been accumulating for nearly 1.5 billion years, offering fresh insight into the Moon’s evolution.

Using data from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, researchers found that the ice build-up is a steady, ongoing process, fed by water delivered through comet impacts and interactions with the solar wind. Over time, changes in the Moon’s axial tilt have expanded these cold traps, allowing them to capture and retain more water.

The findings highlight the Moon’s polar regions as a potentially vital resource, strengthening their role in supporting future deep-space exploration missions.


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Unlocking gas potential

Researchers have confirmed the presence of an ancient ice reservoir on the Moon, estimated to be around 1.5 billion years old, opening up new possibilities for NASA’s Artemis program. Instead of being concentrated in a single location, this ice is scattered across different regions, mixed with lunar soil and buried at varying depths depending on its age.

Due to its complex distribution and composition, extracting this ice will require highly precise and carefully designed techniques. Beyond its scientific value, the ice represents a crucial in-situ resource. It can be processed through electrolysis to generate hydrogen fuel and oxygen—key components for rocket propulsion—as well as oxygen for sustaining human life during missions.

As a result, lunar ice could serve as a strategic propellant reserve, effectively functioning as a refuelling “gas station” for future deep-space missions, including journeys to Mars.