NASA's Artemis Program is set to send astronauts to the Moon before the end of this decade, marking the first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo Era.

A key focus of the Artemis Program is to establish permanent habitats and infrastructure in the South Pole-Aitken Basin to support a sustained human presence on the Moon.

However, lunar regolith, or moondust, presents significant hazards, as it is abrasive, electrostatically charged, and can lead to health issues and equipment malfunctions.

Lunar dust can remain airborne for extended periods due to the Moon's lower gravity, potentially damaging spacesuits, equipment, and obstructing solar panels.

Kristen John from NASA's Johnson Space Center highlighted that fine dust particles can contaminate surfaces without being visible, complicating cleaning efforts.

Understanding lunar dust behavior has broader implications for various NASA technologies, including resource utilization and construction on the lunar surface.

To address these challenges, NASA is testing seven technologies to mitigate lunar dust during a flight test using a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket.

Among the technologies being tested are ClothBot, which simulates astronaut movements to study dust behavior, and Electrostatic Dust Lofting (EDL), which investigates how charged dust is lofted.

Data gathered from these experiments will improve models on regolith behavior, aiding in the development of dust mitigation strategies for future lunar and Martian missions.

The Lunar Gravity Simulation via Suborbital Rocket flight test will analyze regolith mechanics and dust transport in a simulated lunar gravity environment.

The Artemis Program will involve collaboration with multiple space agencies, including the European Space Agency (ESA) and China's space agency, which will send astronauts and 'taikonauts' to the Moon for the first time.

Additionally, the Hermes Lunar-G project will study lunar regolith using repurposed hardware from the ISS, capturing data on dust simulants in a lunar gravity phase.