NASA challenge seeks solutions to spacesuit charging risk on the Moon

NASA has launched a prize competition called the Lunar Grounding Challenge, aimed at finding solutions to a hazard facing astronauts exploring the Moon's South Pole region, according to a NASA release.

As an astronaut walks across the lunar surface, two processes generate electric charge on their spacesuit: tribocharging, caused by physical contact and friction with the lunar surface, and plasma charging, caused by exposure to the ambient space plasma environment. According to NASA, this charge buildup becomes significantly worse when astronauts enter lunar shadows and Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs), areas near the lunar poles that never receive direct sunlight.

In these dark zones, NASA says a spacesuit can accumulate a substantial negative electric potential, posing a risk that the agency's challenge is intended to help address, potentially through the involvement of outside innovators, researchers and engineers submitting proposed solutions.

Permanently Shadowed Regions have drawn particular interest from space agencies because they are believed to harbour frozen water ice, a resource that could be valuable for future lunar missions. However, exploring these regions poses added engineering challenges beyond electric charging, including extreme cold and the complete absence of sunlight for navigation and power generation.

NASA's release did not specify the prize amount associated with the Lunar Grounding Challenge or the deadline for submissions, details typically released separately through the agency's prize and challenge program.