NASA began plume‑surface interaction tests at its Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, to study how a lander’s engine exhaust moves lunar dust, soil and rocks, supporting the Artemis program’s goal of returning humans to the Moon and enabling future Mars missions. The tests are conducted inside a 60‑foot spherical vacuum chamber and involve NASA, academic institutions and commercial partners. In the first phase, a NASA‑designed ethane plume simulation system built and operated by Purdue University generates about 100 pounds of thrust and is fired into a six‑and‑a‑half‑foot‑diameter, one‑foot‑deep bin of simulated lunar regolith called Black Point‑1. Instruments such as the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies record crater formation, ejecta angle and height, spatial distribution of solid particles and particle speed during each roughly six‑second test run. A second phase later this year will use a 14‑inch, 3D‑printed hybrid rocket motor developed at Utah State University and tested at Marshall Space Flight Center, producing about 35 pounds of thrust from a combination of solid propellant and gaseous oxygen. Tests will be performed at multiple heights to evaluate different spacecraft designs. Ashley Korzun, testing lead at Langley, said the test is the most complex of its kind and important for understanding how plume‑surface interaction affects landers, payloads and crew safety. Daniel Stubbs, an engineer with NASA’s Human Landing Systems plume and aero environments team at Marshall, said the data will help validate predictive models for Moon and Mars landings and improve mission success. The modular nature of the campaign allows the simulant and hardware to be changed for Mars conditions and supports broader exploration goals.