NASA's Artemis missions could contaminate ancient polar lunar ice

Technology Jul 15, 2026

NASA's Artemis program wants to set up a long-term base on the moon, but a new study says these missions might accidentally mess with some of the oldest ice in the solar system.

This ancient ice, hidden in dark craters near the lunar poles, has been untouched for billions of years and could hold clues about how life started on Earth.

Rocket methane could contaminate lunar ice

Here's the catch: when rockets land or take off, they can release methane gas.

Because the moon has virtually no atmosphere, this methane can "hop" across its surface and end up trapped in those icy craters, sometimes traveling from one pole to another in less than two lunar days.

Scientists worry that even small amounts of contamination could make it much harder to study these chemical time capsules.