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Sunday, November 8, 2026 · UTC
Launches & Rockets

NASA launches crowdsourced challenge to fix lunar spacesuit static risk

The agency is offering prize money for engineering solutions ahead of planned 2028 astronaut landings at the lunar South Pole.

Luisa Marconi
Senior Space Correspondent
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Engineers work to solve lunar spacesuit static risk
Engineers work to solve lunar spacesuit static risk AI illustrationhow this picture was made
WASHINGTON, USA, Oct. 15, 2026 - NASA has launched a public crowdsourcing challenge to address dangerous static electricity buildup on spacesuits used for lunar surface missions.[1] The Lunar Grounding Challenge will award up to $150,000 for winning ideas.[2] Spacesuits accumulate significant electrical charge while operating on the Moon, from both friction of walking across the surface and exposure to ambient lunar plasma.[3] When a charged astronaut approaches the stationary lander, this voltage difference can trigger electrostatic discharge on contact.[4] NASA plans to land crew at the lunar South Pole in 2028, on either the Artemis 4 or Artemis 5 mission.[5] Space Nugget. Static electricity behaves far more dangerously on the Moon than on Earth. No moist atmosphere exists to bleed off charge gradually, so voltages built up by contact can remain for hours at levels never encountered on the ground.
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  1. NASA launched the 'Lunar Grounding Challenge' to crowdsource innovative engineering ideas to address dangerous static electricity buildup on spacesuits during lunar missions. · mint
  2. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is offering up to $150,000 in prizes to whoever wins the 'Lunar Grounding Challenge'. · mint
  3. NASA explains that risks involving 'tribocharging' from walking on the lunar surface and 'plasma charging' from ambient plasma can generate electric charge on the spacesuit. · mint
  4. The US space agency says that when a highly negatively-charged astronaut approaches a stationary lander, the extreme voltage differential can trigger electrostatic discharge during physical contact. · mint
  5. NASA hopes to land an American astronaut at the lunar South Pole in 2028 during the Artemis 4 or 5 missions. · mint
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