Voyager’s Clear Dust-Repellent Coating Lands on the Moon 

Voyager made a giant leap in lunar technology as our proprietary Clear Dust-Repellent Coating (CDRC) landed on the moon aboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander March 2, after a nearly month-long journey to the moon (238,855 miles or 384,400 kilometers away). As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, CDRC is providing data on how lunar dust interacts with various materials used in space exploration. 

To the moon! 

Lunar dust is highly abrasive, clings to surfaces and can cause damage to equipment and suits over time, presenting significant challenges for space exploration missions. Understanding how to appropriately prevent lunar dust damage is essential to the future of lunar exploration, including Artemis missions and lunar habitats.  

Voyager has demonstrated that CDRC can significantly reduces the accumulation of lunar-simulant dust on glass, metals and various fabrics through a series of NASA-funded programs. Unlike active dust-mitigation systems, such as triboelectric scrubbing, Voyager’s coating is entirely passive, requiring no electricity to function, making it ideal for power-restricted applications. 

Studying lunar dust 

Blue Ghost collected CDRC data on the moon through the Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) experiment. RAC was designed to observe how lunar dust accumulates on different surfaces, exposing materials to the harsh lunar environment. By observing the materials’ abrasion over time, researchers can better understand how lunar environments affect materials, such as the exterior of spacecraft and habitats, spacesuits, infrastructure and other components.  

RAC included a sample of Extravehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuit fabric coated with Voyager’s CDRC. Data returned from this mission will continue to provide insights to the continued development of the technology, ensuring the safety and durability of equipment and spacesuits for future lunar missions and beyond.

Stay tuned for updates as Voyager continues to push the boundaries of innovation in space technology and lunar exploration.