Prospective 3He-rich landing sites on the Moon

Abstract A global map of the 3 He content of the lunar regolith has been constructed. Detailed studies (³He, TiO 2 , FeO content, slope maps) of several regions with highest predicted ³He content such as the craters Grimaldi and Riccioli, Mare Moscoviense, the southern-western part of Oceanus Procellarum, the northern-western part of Mare Tranquillitatis, and the northern-eastern part of Mare Fecundidatis were performed. These regions are located on flat mare surfaces and have a high TiO 2 content. The studied regions, especially craters Grimaldi and Riccioli, were selected as candidate landing sites for missions aimed at extracting 3 He from the lunar regolith. The suggested sites may be further re-examined by the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter during the nominal 1-year mission period in 2021.