  This article describes the characterization activities of the landing sites
currently envisaged for the Lunar Lander mission of the European Space Agency.
These sites have been identified in the South Pole Region (-85{\deg} to
-90{\deg} latitude) based on favourable illumination conditions, which make it
possible to have a long-duration mission with conventional power and thermal
control subsystems, capable of enduring relatively short periods of darkness
(in the order of tens of hours), instead of utilising Radioisotope Heating
Units. The illumination conditions are simulated at the potential landing sites
based on topographic data from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), using
three independent tools. Risk assessment of the identified sites is also being
performed through independent studies. Long baseline slopes are assessed based
on LOLA, while craters and boulders are detected both visually and using
computer tools in Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) images, down to a
size of less than 2 m, and size-frequency distributions are generated. Shadow
hazards are also assessed via LROC images. The preliminary results show that
areas with quasi-continuous illumination of several months exist, but their
size is small (few hundred metres); the duration of the illumination period
drops quickly to less than one month outside the areas, and some areas present
gaps with short illumination periods. Concerning hazard distributions, 50 m
slopes are found to be shallow (few degrees) based on LOLA, whereas at the
scale of the lander footprint (~5 m) they are mostly dominated by craters,
expected to be mature (from geological context) and shallow (~11{\deg}). The
preliminary conclusion is that the environment at the prospective landing sites
is within the capabilities of the Lander design.
