Feasibility of Retrieving Lunar Near-Surface Dust Density Using Radio Occultation Measurements

Lunar charged-dust dynamics (levitation and transportation) could be one of the primary sources to dominate the near-surface plasma environment on the Moon. Charged dust grains could reached up to a few kilometers above the moon surfaces and forming a complex dusty plasma environment. The findings of NASA’s LADEE Lunar Dust Experiment confirms the dust density variations at different altitudes above the surface. Additionally, previous research has reported the detection of the Moon’s electron density profiles using radio occultation measurements; these radio signals were made from Lunar missions, including Chandrayaan, Luna-19, Luna-22, LRO, GRAIL, and SELENE, providing accurate phase measurements with Allan deviations between 10^-12 – 10^-13. In this research, we will present a feasibility assessment of using the lunar radio occultation measurements to estimate the near-surface dust concentrations. Understanding the nature of near-surface dust density and dynamics is essential to assessing the dusty plasma environment impacts on future human and lander missions on the Moon.