A 2026 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends four lunar destinations beyond the poles for possible short crewed visits: Bhabha Crater, Mons Hadley, Orientale Basin, and Aristarchus Plateau. The report, Human Exploration Across the Moon, was prepared at NASA’s request; NASA decides whether and when to pursue missions there.
Four destinations and their reported research aims
Bhabha Crater is on the Moon’s far side. Mons Hadley, Orientale Basin, and Aristarchus Plateau are on the near side. The site-specific aims below were reported by Mashable.
| Destination | Lunar side | Reported research focus |
| Bhabha Crater | Far side | Study evidence that could help date a major impact, investigate radio astronomy in a radio-quiet setting, and examine astronaut isolation. Mashable described it as the committee’s top choice. |
| Mons Hadley | Near side | Revisit the Apollo 15 area, landing north of the historic site, and study equipment and biological material exposed to the lunar environment. |
| Orientale Basin | Near side | Collect deep-crust rocks to investigate whether the Moon was once entirely molten, and deploy a gravitational-wave detector. |
| Aristarchus Plateau | Near side | Study volcanic deposits that may yield water. Mashable reported that a simple open rover could be especially useful there. |
The proposed visit to Mons Hadley would connect future surface research with Apollo 15’s legacy. The crew would examine equipment left in the area in 1971, including the rover, lander base, instruments, and power systems. Studying material exposed to the lunar environment could also inform the engineering of future lunar systems.
What a short lunar sortie would involve
The National Academies’ notional sortie is a planning concept, not a fixed spacecraft or mission design. It describes two astronauts conducting one to four extravehicular activities, or EVAs: work outside their spacecraft on the lunar surface. The baseline keeps the crew within 2 kilometers (about 1.2 miles) of the lander.
That baseline does not require a crewed rover or extensive equipment pre-positioned on the Moon. An unpressurized rover could still extend the crew’s range, increase carrying capacity, and make it more efficient to deploy instruments. A longer safe range could also open up more sites and research targets.
Scientific priority does not set the flight order
The committee’s scientific priorities do not dictate which destination NASA would visit first. The National Academies says mission sequence depends on experience gained, communications capability, and technological readiness. It also calls for continued high-resolution orbital mapping, communications that work around the lunar limb and far side, and instruments able to operate through lunar nights.
The proposed non-polar visits would complement sustained exploration of the South Pole. The report identifies research that could be repeated across destinations, including monitoring astronaut health and performance, environmental measurements, collecting lunar soil, gathering data for lunar-system design, and space-domain awareness. Not every investigation would be part of every mission.
