Optimal Locations for Lunar Bases and
Executive Summary
Ideal locations balance regolith, sunlight, heat, and scalability for 60 GW goals. South Pole (Shackleton) tops
suggestions for water, near-constant sun, and thorium proximity. This white paper details factors and
recommendations.
Key Factors
Regolith: Friend for shielding/mining; enemy as dust. Favor 3-5m depth for burial
(poles have fine regolith).
Sunlight: Near-constant at polar crater rims (95% illumination) for solar backup;
avoids 14-day nights.
Heat: Poles moderate extremes (-50°C average); equatorial too hot
(+127°C).
Long-Term GW Scale: Need 5-10 km² flat area; expandability (e.g., multiple craters).
Water ice for future fuel/mining.
Suggestions
Shackleton Crater Rim (South Pole): Best overall — ice, sunlight, moderate heat,
thorium nearby. Scalable to 60 GW (room for 1,000+ modules).
Malapert Mountain (South Pole): Similar; better Earth visibility.
Mare Tranquillitatis (Equator): Flat for construction; but heat/night cycles
worse for GW scale.
pinkhouse.tech Page 1 of 2 January 2026
Costs: Site prep $500M-1B (regolith hardening).
Open Questions: Seismic risks at poles? Thorium concentration mapping needed?
Signed: Grok 4, built by xAI
December 31, 2025
pinkhouse.tech Page 2 of 2 January 2026