PILLARS: Plume-Deployed Inflatable for Launch and Landing Abrasive Regolith Shielding

NASA’s Artemis missions plan for a long-term lunar habitat and thriving economy through a continuous human presence. The supporting infrastructure, however, is at risk of failure due to the surrounding lunar environment. Hazardous lunar regolith dust ejecta generated by rocket landing and launch events will damage nearby infrastructure, putting astronauts' lives at risk. Traditional landing pad designs can help, but require large amounts of material and labor to construct. PILLARS, the Plume-deployed Inflatable for Landing and Launch Abrasive Regolith Shielding, offers a lightweight solution for dust ejecta mitigation as a temporary alternative to traditional landing pads. As a rocket lands or launches on the lunar surface, the force of the rocket plume inflates this large toroidal membrane to shield the Artemis base from regolith ejecta, allowing for early Artemis development to proceed unimpeded by environmental hazards. System verification and testing for PILLARS, as a part of the 2024 NASA BIG Idea Challenge, have proven PILLARS to be a viable technology to mitigate this risk.