Five US Universities Triumph in NASA’s 2024 Human Lander Challenge

Photo: IANS

NEW YORK — NASA has announced that five universities in the United States have emerged victorious in the 2024 Human Lander Challenge (HuLC). These institutions were recognized for their innovative ideas aimed at tackling the difficult problem of managing lunar dust during the upcoming Artemis Moon exploration mission.

One of the main challenges for NASA and its partners is dealing with lunar dust during the landing of the Artemis mission. This is especially important as they plan to explore the lunar South Pole and establish a long-term human presence on the Moon.

The University of Michigan team was named the overall winner and received a $10,000 prize. The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign secured the second place with a $5,000 award, while the University of Colorado Boulder took third place, earning a $3,000 prize.

Additionally, Texas A&M University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott were honored with the Excellence in Systems Engineering award.

These universities were among the 12 finalists chosen in March 2024. They developed proposed systems-level solutions that could be implemented within the next 3-5 years to manage or prevent the clouds of dust, known as lunar plume surface interaction, that form when a spacecraft lands on the Moon.

The final round of the competition took place from June 25 to 27 near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.

Don Krupp, associate program manager for the HLS Program, stated that managing and reducing the threat of lunar dust is a significant challenge for NASA. He emphasized that the space agency is dedicated to finding real solutions for maintaining a long-term presence on the Moon’s surface.