Shackleton Crater is a polar lunar crater whose geology guides engineering bets on water ice; now cited amid orbiting weapons debates and Artemis II’s Moon-base plans.
The United States is accelerating its space and lunar defense posture as officials announce on-orbit space control weapons and a doubling of the Space Force. Leaders say operations will defend US interests from low Earth orbit to cislunar space, signaling a shift in the military balance in space ahead of potential actions around the Moon.