Evaluating potential landing sites for the Artemis III mission using a multi-criteria decision making approach

TL;DR

This study uses GIS and MCDM methods to evaluate and identify optimal lunar landing sites for Artemis III, considering multiple criteria like illumination, line of sight, and mineralogy, to support mission planning.

Contribution

It introduces a GIS-MCDM framework with TOPSIS for lunar site selection, integrating diverse data to identify the best landing location for Artemis III.

Findings

Site DM2 is identified as the optimal landing site.

The approach is robust across different criteria weightings.

The methodology effectively supports lunar exploration planning.

Abstract

The selection of a landing site within the Artemis Exploration Zone (AEZ) involves multiple factors and presents a complex problem. This study evaluates potential landing sites for the Artemis III mission using a combination of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methodologies, specifically the TOPSIS algorithm. By integrating topographic, illumination, and mineralogy data of the Moon, we assess 1247 locations that meet the Human Landing System (HLS) requirements within 13 candidate regions and Site 004 near the lunar south pole. Criteria considered include surface visibility, HLS-astronaut line of sight, Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs), sunlight exposure, direct communication with Earth, geological units, and mafic mineral abundance. Site DM2 (Nobile Rim 2), particularly the point at latitude 84{\deg}12'5.61" S (-84.20156{\deg}) and longitude 60{\deg}41'59.61" E (60.69989{\deg}), is the optimal location for landing. Sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of our approach, validating the suitability of the best location despite the MCDM method employed and variations in criteria weightings to prioritize illumination and PSRs. This research demonstrates the applicability of GIS-MCDM techniques for lunar exploration and the potential benefits they can bring to the Artemis program.