Mitigating plume surface interactions using lunar craters

npj Space Exploration 2026 Open access

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Authors: Seamus Anderson, Prabal Saxena, Philip T. Metzger
DOI: 10.1038/s44453-026-00045-w
Cited by: 1
References: 23

Abstract

Launching and landing spacecraft on the lunar surface mobilizes regolith at high velocities which will likely cause damage to nearby objects and infrastructure, a phenomenon known as plume surface interactions (PSIs) that must be mitigated for sustainable lunar surface exploration. While some mitigation strategies prescribe the construction of walls and landing pads using locally sourced regolith and additive manufacturing techniques, cheaper and more immediately available approaches may be required. We introduce a novel concept that uses small lunar craters (

Fields of Study & Subjects

Planetary Science and Exploration Astro and Planetary Science Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies

Publication details

Journal / source
npj Space Exploration
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
2
Issue
1
Pages
28–28
Publication date
12 June 2026
Language
EN