image: Jose Hurtado, Ph.D., a UTEP professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences, has earned a new grant to help map the moon. The new, innovative and accurate map will help NASA astronauts carry out forthcoming moon missions, named Artemis.
view more
Credit: The University of Texas at El Paso
EL PASO, Texas (Sept. 23, 2025) – In 2027, NASA plans to land two astronauts on the south pole of the moon for the first time in history. The weeklong mission aims to further lunar exploration and scientific discovery. However, high-quality, modern maps of the south pole — which can help make the mission a success — currently do not exist.
That will soon change thanks to a new Lunar Mapping Program (LMAP) supported by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. The program is funding a team of expert scientists from across the U.S. to map the moon. Among the moon mappers is Jose Hurtado, Ph.D., a UTEP professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences.
“Making geologic maps is a critical step in answering scientific questions about the moon, as well as preparing for the logistics of lunar exploration and planning the activities that astronauts will conduct on its surface,” Hurtado explained.
Hurtado said that the south pole is of particular interest to the scientific community because of its potential to answer questions about the moon’s origin, water resources and how the surface of planets evolve over time.
“The water is of interest not just scientifically but also operationally as it is a potential critical resource to enable sustainable development exploration and habitation of the moon,” he said.
Using state-of-the-art data collected by spacecraft like the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, artificial intelligence and cutting-edge GIS software, the LMAP team aims to create a new, innovative and accurate map that can help astronauts carry out forthcoming moon missions, named Artemis.
“The LMAP approach can be directly applied to making the maps used for planning and executing Artemis lunar exploration with humans and robots,” Hurtado said.
In addition to LMAP, Hurtado is a member of NASA’s Artemis II and III Science Teams.
Scheduled for launch in early 2026, Artemis II will send a crew of astronauts around the moon. Hurtado is assisting with mission simulations at the NASA Johnson Space Center between now and the launch. During the mission itself, Hurtado will work in NASA’s Science Evaluation Room and help provide real-time communications and feedback to astronauts, which can maximize scientific return during the short mission.
Hurtado will have similar roles in the Artemis III mission, which will be the first human lunar landing in over 50 years. He will also help design the surface mission and science mission objectives and activities.
The LMAP project is expected to be complete later this year.
About The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 26,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 170 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.