Data from Lunar Prospector's neutron spectrometer, showing evidence of hydrogen at the lunar poles. M3 will help to determine whether the hydrogen is in the form of water ice.

Returning people to the Moon is the first step in NASA's long-term vision of a permanent human presence in space. Knowing the Moon's mineral layout will help NASA to select targets for future robotic lunar sample-return and crewed-lander missions. M³ will help NASA find and characterize resources that could make exploration affordable and sustainable.

M³ will map the mineral composition of the lunar surface at high resolution, and will constrain the presence of water at the poles. Previous missions have detected hydrogen at the poles. M³ will endeavor to determine whether the hydrogen is in the form of frozen H₂O.