The American space agency has taken another important step toward a sustainable human presence on the Moon: two new scientific stations have been selected, which astronauts will deploy at the South Pole during the Artemis IV mission. These are the DUSTER and SPSS instruments, developmental-operational projects targeting the two greatest unknowns for future lunar crews – the behavior of lunar dust and the internal structure of our natural satellite. Their task is simultaneously practical and scientific: to reduce risks to health and equipment, and to deliver data that will be directly incorporated into the planning of permanent surface activities.

Introduction: two stations for a safer return to the Moon

NASA's selection of DUSTER (DUst and plaSma environmenT survEyoR) and SPSS (South Pole Seismic Station) reveals the clear logic of the Artemis campaign: before the construction of broader infrastructure begins, it is necessary to "tame" the environment by measuring what is hardest to predict in the laboratory. Dust on the Moon is not just an aesthetic problem; it is abrasive, electrostatic, persistent, and enters all joints. The seismic environment, meanwhile, dictates where and how to build safely, how to arrange antennas and power sub-assemblies, and which zones to avoid due to faults or loose blocky material. Two instruments target precisely these risk points.

Why the South Pole and why now

The lunar South Pole has become the main stage of exploration in recent years because supplies of water ice are expected in permanently shadowed craters. If the availability and stability of resources are confirmed, the path opens for in-situ production of water, oxygen, and propellant. But this environment is extremely demanding: extreme thermal contrasts, long periods in shadow, and fine regolith that is easily lifted and transferred onto equipment. Artemis IV will step into this environment with a mix of proven procedures and new tools, and DUSTER and SPSS are the first "silent" workers that will turn assumptions into measured quantities.

DUSTER: how lunar dust "breathes"

DUSTER is a group of sensors on a small autonomous vehicle whose fundamental goal is to characterize two interconnected components of the South Polar environment – dust and plasma immediately above the surface. Lunar dust, created by billions of years of micrometeorite bombardment, has sharp edges and easily becomes electrostatically charged. Apollo astronauts vividly witnessed how sticky such material is and how quickly it can compromise spacesuits, joints, and optical surfaces. DUSTER turns that impression into numbers: it will measure charge, size, speed, and particle flux, as well as electron density and plasma variations in the thin layer immediately above the regolith.

What exactly DUSTER measures and where

The operational concept envisions instruments riding on an autonomous rover that circles the landing area and targetedly enters micro-environments: along crew walking paths, around the landing and subsequent takeoff sites of the lander, on the edges of small craters, and across different granulometric zones. By comparing the "natural state" before crew activity and the state during and after operations, scientists and engineers will gain unique insight into how much and how humans and machines change the environment. The results are crucial for future decontamination protocols, spacesuit design, and material selection for more exposed surfaces.

MAPP platform and industrial partners

DUSTER will, according to the plan, be located on a small autonomous rover of the MAPP class (Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform) delivered by Lunar Outpost from Colorado. Such a platform combines low mass, modular payload, and the ability to move precisely over uneven, shadowed terrain – a key prerequisite for the South Pole. Built-in instruments include the Electrostatic Dust Analyzer (EDA), intended to measure the charge, size, speed, and flux of lifted particles, and a plasma-sounding system known as RESOLVE, which characterizes the average electron density above the surface. Paired on the same mobile platform, these sensors enable simultaneous recording of "particles in the air" and the electric environment that governs their movement.

The DUSTER Team and goals

The instrument package is led by Xu Wang from the University of Colorado Boulder, a researcher with long experience in dust and plasma physics on airless bodies. The contractual development period is scheduled for three years, focusing on delivery, qualification, and integration before the operational phase of the mission. DUSTER's role is not merely to "catalog" grains; the goal is to quantify dynamics in real operational conditions. How many particles rise during an astronaut's walk? What is the deposition profile after the lander takes off? How much do plasma conditions vary during one lunar day and how does that affect dust adhesion? The answers to these questions turn into numerical limits and recommendations for engineering teams.

SPSS: new seismology of the South Pole

SPSS is a seismic station intended for "listening" to the Moon – from shallow echoes to deep structures. Apollo seismometers in the seventies provided the first permanent records of moonquakes and impact events, but the technology and station arrangement were limited. SPSS brings more sensitive systems and a new measurement geometry at a location that has not been seismologically covered until now. Goals include estimating the current rate of meteoroid impacts at the South Pole, continuous monitoring of seismic "noise" that can affect the operation of the crew and equipment, and determining the properties of the deep interior – thickness and properties of the mantle, possible core stratification, etc.

"Thumper": an active source for the shallow subsurface

In addition to passively recording natural events, SPSS also envisions an active source: a compact mechanical device ("thumper") with which astronauts generate controlled shock waves. The waves reflect and refract in shallow layers, and the structure around the landing site is reconstructed from the echoes – regolith thickness, presence of compacted layers, potential cavities, and micro-faults. These data directly serve the design of foundations for equipment, antennas, and future construction works, as well as the optimization of vehicle movement routes to avoid critical zones.

SPSS Leadership and expected insights

SPSS is led by Mark Panning from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, a seismologist whose career is dedicated to the internal structure of planetary bodies. Experiences from the InSight mission on Mars showed how much one carefully selected station can reveal about deep processes. On the Moon, where there is no atmosphere or hydrometeorological "noise", SPSS can achieve an exceptional signal-to-noise ratio and produce a series of events that will serve as a reference for decades of work. At the same time, a continuous record will enable the compilation of statistics on weak impacts – information crucial for assessing long-term risk to infrastructure.

Artemis Strategy: field data as a foundation

The selection of DUSTER and SPSS reflects the priority NASA places on surface measurements. Science here is not a decoration after the "main show", but a prerequisite for sustainability. Safety managers need real numbers on contamination, electrostatic conditions, and seismic stability, while the scientific community seeks time series and models that will finally resolve dilemmas about the lunar interior and the scale of dust storms on a small scale.

Apollo lessons, turned into protocols

After Apollo 17, Gene Cernan often emphasized that dust is "enemy number one" for long-term operations. Today's generations turn that insight into protocols. If, for example, DUSTER records that the lander's takeoff creates a long-lasting cloud of fine particles above a certain height, the work schedule can be adjusted so that more sensitive experiments are performed outside that window. If SPSS registers frequent micro-echoes during a certain activity, procedures are changed to reduce the risk to an acceptable level.

Autonomy and DUSTER use scenarios

The rover carrying the instruments is conceived as a quiet but diligent companion to the crew. It can monitor landing and takeoff, "stand aside" during walking, and then return over the same tracks to compare the state before and after the load. This creates an environment recovery map: how quickly the "normal" state of plasma returns, where particles linger, and how they redistribute. In the long term, such data enter maintenance and cleaning standards, but also the design of surfaces that collect less dust.

Seismology as an operational tool

The seismometer is not useful only for big science; it can serve as a monitoring instrument during equipment installation or lighter construction works. If future missions start with excavations or placing larger modules, SPSS will warn of micro-movements and compactions that could threaten stability. Parallelly, series of small micrometeoroid impacts – which would otherwise go unnoticed – enter the statistics upon which risk assessment for multi-year stays is based.

Artemis IV Mission Schedule and link to Gateway

Artemis IV in current plans represents the first flight of the more powerful version of the SLS rocket (Block 1B) and a key stage in the construction of the lunar Gateway station. The crew is supposed to deliver and integrate the international habitation module I-Hab and, within the same profile, conduct a stay on the surface using a lunar lander. This closes the logistical loop: the orbit serves as a "base camp" for preparation and return, while instruments like DUSTER and SPSS are synchronized with the presence of humans but also have a plan for autonomous continuation of data collection after the crew departs.

Planning, industry, and work schedule

Contracts for DUSTER and SPSS are structured as three-year ones, with an emphasis on deliverability by integration with the flight. This leaves room for testing and qualification in conditions similar to lunar ones – thermal tests, vacuum chambers, mechanical vibrations. Academic institutions and industrial partners specialized in robotics and sensitive instruments are included in the participation chain. This chain of knowledge and supply is intended to be maintained through multiple missions, to build "serial" reliability of surface systems.

Cross-validation: dust meets seismology

One of the most convincing aspects of this duo is the possibility of cross-linking data. A seismic record of a smaller impact event can be correlated with a short-term disturbance in plasma and an increase in particle flux measured by DUSTER. If a strong link is established between these signals, we will obtain a new methodology for detection and event assessment using combined sensor channels. This is reminiscent of "smart sensor networks" on Earth, but in an ecosystem where every minute of operation and every byte of transferred data is precious.

From the heroic era to engineering routine

The Artemis campaign redefines what "success" means in lunar missions. Once, it was flags, photographs, and quick samples; today it is a set of reliable measurement series that protect lives and make subsequent operations predictable. DUSTER and SPSS are not a spectacle, but the backbone of future routine – like the electrical grid or water supply in a new settlement. Without them, everything else remains improvisation.

Why specifically the South Pole as a laboratory

The topography of the South Pole – long edges of shadow, sudden sunrises, and uneven terrain – creates a natural test range for the endurance of instrumentation, communication links, and mobility. If systems and procedures function in such conditions, they will likely work elsewhere on the Moon as well. That is why measurements there are doubly valuable: they confirm universal models and simultaneously give specific guidelines for the most challenging locations.

Two data packages, double benefit

The first benefit will be operational: dust and plasma maps will help in selecting sites for antennas, movement routes, and placement of sensitive scientific equipment, while the seismic soil model will guide foundation construction and load assessment during landings and takeoffs. The second benefit is scientific: seismology will additionally constrain models of the Moon's internal structure, and dust and plasma physics will illuminate how the environment on airless bodies changes under human influence.

Broader benefits: from the Moon to Earth

Technologies being developed for DUSTER and SPSS – from sensor miniaturization, through signal filtering, to autonomous navigation – have direct terrestrial applications. Mining, geotechnics, critical infrastructure monitoring, and even air pollution tracking in extreme conditions rely on the same principles and algorithms. "Invisible" science from the Moon thus returns home as improved standards and more robust tools.

Toward a "digital twin" of the South Pole

As Gateway develops and crew stays lengthen, networked instruments will enable the building of a "digital twin" of the South Polar environment: a model that predicts the consequences of operations (landing, drilling, transport) in real time and suggests optimal schedules. DUSTER and SPSS are the foundation of that twin – without their primary data, the rest is just hypothesis.

Manifest and scientific agenda

The final inclusion of instruments in the flight manifest will depend on engineering and program decisions that accompany every major mission. But the fact that DUSTER and SPSS have entered the phase of intensive preparation shows that Artemis IV carries a clear scientific-operational agenda: to protect the crew, deepen understanding of the Moon, and create templates that will be applied on Mars.

Flight profile and measurement windows

Artemis IV is planned as a mission combining module delivery to Gateway and multi-day activities on the surface. This allows DUSTER to record the entire life cycle of a stay – before crew arrival (natural state), during operations (disturbance), and after departure (recovery) – while SPSS continuously monitors the seismic background and individual events. Thus, a unique temporal cross-section of the South Pole environment is created, against which all future missions will be compared.

Silent measurement changing the game

The lunar South Pole is soon getting two stations that will work quietly but persistently – measuring what until yesterday was merely a warning in Apollo logs and a curve in laboratory models. When we look back at the early years of Artemis, it is precisely in these datasets that the moment will be recognized when the romantic stage became a precisely measured, engineeringly comprehensible environment – ready for building, exploration, and, one day, departure further toward Mars.