The DUSTER project

Charged dust particles are present on the Moon, Mars, comets and asteroids, and they can be a threat for both human and robotic exploration missions. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to characterise the properties of the dust particles present on the exploration sites and their transportation mechanisms to enable efficient mitigation techniques to be put in place. The goal of the DUSTER project is to develop instrumentation and technologies for in situ analysis of the electrical charging and transport of those dust particles. The project includes the development of a ground based test facility to validate the instrument in representative conditions. The experimental data will be used to update and improve existing dust charging and transportation models.

Overall methodology of the scientific and technological activities.