Natural Landing Pads on the Moon and Mars

Future lunar and martian missions require repeated landings of heavy spacecraft to support infrastructure development. This study introduces “Natural Landing Pads” (NLPs), naturally occurring surfaces with topographic and thermophysical properties capable of mitigating plume-surface interaction hazards. We developed a quantitative framework integrating global and local remote sensing datasets into a suitability index. Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis was applied to vary the weighting of slope, roughness, rock abundance, and surface competency, producing consensus maps of robust landing zones. Lunar analyses demonstrate that mare terrains, such as Sosigenes Rille and Isis Dome, offer significantly higher suitability and larger, contiguous safe areas than highland regions like North Massif. On Mars, canyon benches in Coprates Chasma and Kasei Valles exhibit high suitability thresholds, whereas clay-rich terrains at Mawrth Vallis provide only sparse, fragmented options. This framework enables mission planners to locate and prioritize specific coordinates for safe, pinpoint landings during the transitional phase before artificial infrastructure is established. • Introduces Natural Landing Pads (NLPs) for sustained missions. • Quantitative suitability framework integrates four remote sensing metrics. • Lunar mare sites offer more and higher-quality NLPs than highlands. • Martian canyon benches show the most favorable, repeatable NLPs. • NLP identification informs pre-construction landing strategy.