Constraints on lunar micrometeoroid flux from Artemis II impact flashes

Abstract Meteoroids are known to impact the Moon although the smallest size fraction is unconstrained due to the difficulty in observing faint impact flashes. Here we present observations of lunar impact flashes from NASA’s Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on 7 April 2026 UTC. Five impact flashes were observed on the lunar farside during a total solar eclipse. These observations indicate meteoroids impacting the Moon with a lower limit of ~4.65 cm in diameter. The energy of each impact was equivalent to ~0.64 lbs of TNT and created a new lunar crater less than 1 meter in diameter. This information is used to supplement risk assessments for impact debris on lunar infrastructure which is critical as NASA plans to develop a sustained human presence on the lunar surface. Artemis II flew outside of any major annual meteoroid streams, and thus these observations place a lower bound on the impact flux at the lunar surface. With these observations, the Artemis II crew set a record for the smallest meteoroids ever optically observed to impact the Moon.

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Publication Details

Journal
Research Square
Published
2026-11-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-11087359/v1
Primary Topic
Astro and Planetary Science
Type
preprint
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preprint

Constraints on lunar micrometeoroid flux from Artemis II impact flashes

David M. Hollibaugh-Baker, Jennifer L. Heldmann, Juliane Groß, A. Colaprete et al.
Research Square
Astro and Planetary Science
preprint

Constraints on lunar micrometeoroid flux from Artemis II impact flashes

David M. Hollibaugh-Baker, Jennifer L. Heldmann, Juliane Groß, A. Colaprete, J. A. Richardson, K. E. Young, Debra Hurwitz Needham, Cynthia Evans, A. N. Deutsch, Marie J. Henderson, Ernest Wright, Megan Borel, Maria Banks, Barbara Cohen, William Cooke, Alexandra Constantinou, Amber Turner, Kiarre Dumes, Jose Hurtado
preprint en

Abstract

Abstract Meteoroids are known to impact the Moon although the smallest size fraction is unconstrained due to the difficulty in observing faint impact flashes. Here we present observations of lunar impact flashes from NASA’s Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on 7 April 2026 UTC. Five impact flashes were observed on the lunar farside during a total solar eclipse. These observations indicate meteoroids impacting the Moon with a lower limit of ~4.65 cm in diameter. The energy of each impact was equivalent to ~0.64 lbs of TNT and created a new lunar crater less than 1 meter in diameter. This information is used to supplement risk assessments for impact debris on lunar infrastructure which is critical as NASA plans to develop a sustained human presence on the lunar surface. Artemis II flew outside of any major annual meteoroid streams, and thus these observations place a lower bound on the impact flux at the lunar surface. With these observations, the Artemis II crew set a record for the smallest meteoroids ever optically observed to impact the Moon.

Research Square
Ames Research Center (US), Marshall Space Flight Center (US), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), The University of Texas at El Paso (US), Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (US), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (US), Johnson Space Center (US), Amentum (United States) (FR), University of Maryland, Baltimore County (US)
Astro and Planetary Science
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