Overview
- NASA chose Lunar Outpost’s Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform as the first rover slated to operate alongside a crew on the lunar surface during Artemis IV.
- The rover will host LASP’s DUSTER payload, combining the Electrostatic Dust Analyzer to gauge dust charge, size, velocity, and flux with RESOLVE to probe near-surface electron density.
- Researchers aim to map dust behavior and plasma conditions that can abrade suits, foul instruments, cut solar power, overheat radiators, and pose health risks to astronauts.
- The University of Central Florida will analyze dust kicked up by the human lander’s liftoff while UC Berkeley will assess upstream plasma to contextualize DUSTER measurements.
- Lunar Outpost previously reached the Moon with LV1, which was immobilized after a lander tip-over, and targets an LV2 flight on Intuitive Machines’ IM‑3 in 2026 under CLPS, with Artemis timing following NASA’s evolving schedule.