NASA Launches Lunar Grounding Challenge to Safeguard Moonwalkers from Electrostatic Discharges

NASA has announced the Lunar Grounding Challenge, a competition offering up to $150,000 in prizes to develop solutions that neutralize the high triboelectric charge astronauts accumulate while walking on the lunar South Pole. The challenge addresses the risk that, in permanently shadowed regions, a suit can build a substantial negative potential due to lack of photoelectron emission and ambient ion flux. When a negatively charged astronaut returns to a positively charged lander, the resulting voltage differential can cause an electrostatic discharge that may damage suit electronics, compromise the oxygen supply, and shock the crew. Participants must propose designs or operational procedures that safely discharge the astronaut before contact with the lander. Submissions are due January 15, 2027, and more information is available on the CrowdPlat platform.