Off Earth Landing And Launch Pad Construction-A Critical Technology For Establishing A Long-Term Presence On Extraterrestrial Surfaces

In 2017, Space Policy Directive-1 was issued to ensure that "the United States will lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization" and engage the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the national effort. A long-term presence on the Moon will require numerous lunar landings and launches to build up surface assets, rotate crew, and deliver logistics supplies to/from the Moon. Interactions between landing/launch rocket engine plumes and the unprepared lunar surface will lead to erosion and ejection of regolith particles at high velocities from beneath the vehicle. The associated ejecta elevates mission risks by: obscuring sensors and human vision during landing via lofted dust; cratering/modifying the surface that the vehicle will land upon; and subjecting the vehicle, surrounding assets, and potentially orbital assets to impacts and contamination from high-velocity dust particles. The construction of a reusable landing/launch pad infrastructure is a method to mitigate such risks. A landing/launch pad system can provide a known, benign and reliable landing/launch surface, minimize regolith ejecta, and protect surrounding assets from liberated particles. Associated blast barriers can provide protection in case of a landing/launch catastrophic anomaly. This paper summarizes previous work towards construction of off-Earth landing/launch pad infrastructure and begins to identify key technology gaps. Additionally, this paper establishes metrics for comparison of pad construction technologies to guide future trade studies. The overall objective of this paper is to baseline the state of the art of off-Earth landing/launch pad construction technologies and serve as the starting point for further technical development.