If humanity is serious about living and working on the Moon, there is one adversary we cannot ignore.
Dust.
Not the nuisance we brush off a shelf on Earth, but a microscopic, abrasive and electrically charged material that NASA has identified as one of the most persistent threats to lunar operations. During Apollo, it clogged mechanisms, overheated radiators and even tore into astronauts’ spacesuits.
In the Artemis era and beyond, the challenge only grows.
This reality is driving focus on preventive technologies such as Voyager’s clear dust-repellant coating, which is being designed to continuously protect critical systems.
The Quiet Threat to Lunar Infrastructure
On Earth, dust grains are often weathered smooth by wind. On the Moon, there is no atmosphere, so particles remain jagged and glass-like, formed by billions of years of micrometeorite impacts.
Lunar dust is sharp, sticky and easily lofted in the Moon’s weak gravity, where it clings to surfaces through static electricity. High-velocity plumes from landings can even behave like sandblasting jets against infrastructure.
NASA engineers learned this firsthand during Apollo. Dust tracked into the lunar module irritated astronauts’ eyes and throats, degraded seals and interfered with instruments. What was once an operational nuisance is now recognized as a constraint for sustained lunar presence.
One of the most immediate impacts from lunar dust is performance degradation. Solar arrays lose efficiency. Optical systems lose clarity. Thermal radiators lose effectiveness. Mechanical joints wear prematurely. Over time, regolith buildup can shorten the lifespan of critical hardware across the lunar surface.
As lunar architectures scale, the implications compound with less reliable power generation, higher maintenance burden, shorter asset lifetimes and increased mission risk.
Historically, most dust solutions have focused on removal after contamination occurs. Electrostatic shields, mechanical brushing and active cleaning systems attempt to fight dust once it has already adhered. But the physics of lunar dust makes reactive cleaning increasingly costly, and now the focus is on prevention.
Unlike active systems that require power and moving parts, Voyager’s coating is designed to function passively, reducing regolith accumulation on treated surfaces without electrical input. That distinction matters in space, where every watt and mechanical component carries operational cost and risk.
Why This Matters
What was manageable during short Apollo sorties becomes mission-critical for sustained presence. Future lunar systems will need to operate longer, with less maintenance margin and higher reliability requirements.
Clear dust-repellant coatings directly support that shift by helping protect spacesuits, optical sensors, thermal systems, solar arrays and surface mobility platforms.
By extending hardware lifetimes and reducing performance degradation, passive dust mitigation becomes a force multiplier across the entire lunar architecture.