| Mons Mouton | |
|---|---|
 LRO Wide Angle Camera mosaic | |
| Highest point | |
| Listing | Lunar mountains |
| Coordinates | 84°36′S 31°00′E / 84.6°S 31.0°E |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Named for Melba Roy Mouton |
| English translation | Mouton Mountain |
| Language of name | Latin |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | the Moon |
Mons Mouton is the Moon's tallest mountain that has been officially named.[1] The base to peak height of this flat-topped mountain is 6 km (3.7 mi) per altimetry data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.[1][2] It just under 100 km (62 mi) wide[3] and lies between the craters Nobile and Malapert, within 6° of the lunar South Pole on the Moon's near-side. This is a region of special interest because of the presence of Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs) that could be cold traps for water, together with areas of extended solar illumination in their proximity.
As a result, Mons Mouton was scheduled to become the landing site of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) prior to its cancelation.[2][4] The mountain was subsequently chosen as the landing site for the IM-2 Athena lunar lander.[5] IM-2 landed on 6 March 2025. The spacecraft was intact after touchdown but resting on its side, thereby complicating its planned science and technology demonstration mission; this outcome is similar to what occurred with the company's IM-1 Odysseus spacecraft in 2024.[6] On 13 March, Intuitive Machines shared that, like on the IM-1 mission, the Athena's altimeter had failed during landing, leaving its onboard computer without an accurate altitude reading. As a result, the spacecraft struck a plateau, tipped over, and skidded across the lunar surface, rolling once or twice before settling inside the crater. The company's CEO compared it to a baseball player sliding into a base. During the slide, the spacecraft rolled once or twice, before coming to rest inside the crater. The impact also kicked up regolith that coated the solar panels in dust, further degrading their performance.[7]
Mons Mouton is possibly a remnant of the rim of the South Pole–Aitken basin - one of the oldest, largest and deepest impact craters in the Solar System. There are taller mountains than Mons Mouton on the Moon's far-side which are also likely part of this basin's rings, but they are as yet unnamed.[1]
Mons Mouton was previously sometimes referred to as Leibnitz Beta, but was named on 13 May 2022 after the American mathematician Melba Roy Mouton.[8]
- ^ a b c Singh, Jim (May 2024). "The Moon's Highs and Lows". Carrd.co. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ a b Wright, Ernie; Argueta, Erica (30 May 2023). "Mons Mouton, a Newly Named Lunar Mountain". Scientific Visualization Studio. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ Wright, Ernie; Argueta, Erica (February 15, 2023). "Mons Mouton, a Newly Named Lunar Mountain". NASA Scientific Visualization Studio. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- ^ Wright, Ernie; Ladd, David; Colaprete, Anthony; Ladd, David (20 September 2021). "The VIPER Landing Site". Scientific Visualization Studio. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ Wattles, Jackie (26 February 2025). "Texas-based company that made historic soft touchdown on the moon launches high-stakes lunar excursion". CNN. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (6 March 2025). "IM-2 lunar lander on its side after touchdown". SpaceNews. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ Berger, Eric (13 March 2025). "Athena landed in a dark crater where the temperature was minus 280° F". Ars Technica. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- ^ "MOON - Mons Mouton". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 6 April 2025.