TP16

The lunar space environment is governed by dynamic coupling between the solar wind/magnetospheric plasma, energetic particles, exosphere, dust grains, photoelectrons, the solid surface, and magnetic anomalies. In recent years, many space agencies, as well as private companies and academic institutions, have been actively preparing for a new era of lunar exploration. The number of missions planned to arrive at and operate on the lunar surface in the coming decade is rapidly increasing. While these missions will advance our understanding of the Moon environment, they will also inevitably perturb and modify the pristine lunar environment. Characterizing the pristine state before it is significantly altered by human activity is therefore urgent, and timely action is required.

This session invites oral and poster contributions across this broad area of the lunar environment, addressing both its natural state and its evolution under increasing human activity. Contributions are encouraged from a wide range of approaches, including data analysis, numerical simulations, laboratory experiments, instrumentation, future missions, and combinations thereof. Key themes include innovative science across disciplines, identification of critical observations and methodologies needed for pre-contamination characterization, and interdisciplinary studies that reveal the coupling between different domains of the lunar space environment.

This session aims to gain insight into the complex coupling that shapes the lunar space environment, examine the implications of upcoming exploration for lunar science and human activities, engage scientists from diverse disciplines to share cutting-edge knowledge, and stimulate new ideas for understanding and preserving the lunar environment in the era of intensive exploration.