Buckle up for 'exciting new discovery' about moon

New Delhi: NASA will announce an exciting new discovery about the moon from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) at a media teleconference at 12 pm on Monday (October 26). Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency's website.

The space agency gave no details on what the announcement might be, apart from indicating that it "contributes to NASA's efforts to learn about the moon in support of deep space exploration".

The news is expected to tie in with the Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the moon in 2024 while also developing a moon presence as a stepping stone to the more distant destination of Mars. SOFIA is a high-flying, customized airplane. "Flying above 99% of the atmosphere's obscuring water vapor, SOFIA observes in infrared wavelengths and can pick up phenomenon impossible to see with visible light," NASA said.

NASA has been busy investigating water ice around the lunar south pole, which could be a valuable resource to have on site as astronauts live and work around the moon. The space agency is also interested in lava tubes, spacious caves that could provide shelter for visiting humans.