The lunar poles potentially contain vast quantities of water ice. The water ice is of interest due to its capability to

answer scientific questions regarding the Solar System’s water reservoir and its potential as a useable space

resource for the creation of a sustainable cislunar economy. The lunar polar water ice exists in extremely harsh

conditions under vacuum at temperatures as low as 40 K. Therefore, finding the most effective technique for

extracting this water ice is an important aspect of ascertaining the suitability of lunar water as an economically

viable space resource. Based on previous work, this study investigates the impact of the different possible arrangements

of icy regolith in the lunar polar environment on the suitability of microwave heating as a water

extraction technique. Three arrangements of icy regolith analogues were created: permafrost, fine granular, and

coarse granular. The samples were created to a mass of 40 g, using the lunar highlands simulant LHS-1, and a

target water content of 5 wt %. The samples were processed in a microwave heating unit using 250 W, 2.45 GHz

microwave energy for 60 min. The quantity of water extracted was determined by measuring the sample mass

change in real-time during microwave heating and the sample mass before and after heating. The permafrost,

fine granular, and coarse granular samples had extraction ratios of 92 %, 83 %, and 97 %, respectively. Possible

explanations for the observed variations seen in the mass loss profiles of the respective samples are provided,

including explanations for the differences between samples of varying ice morphology (permafrost and granular)

and the differences between samples with varying ice surface areas (fine and coarse granular). While differences

were observed, microwave heating effectively extracted water in all the samples and remains an effective ISRU

technique for extracting water from icy lunar regolith. Differences in the water extraction of different icy regolith

could be useful in determining the arrangement of ice in buried samples.