Regolith is the unconsolidated, heterogeneous layer of fragmented mineral and rock material that overlies coherent bedrock on planetary surfaces, including Earth, the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and other solid bodies. As a substance, it comprises varying proportions of rock fragments, mineral grains, dust, ice, and, on some planets, secondary alteration products such as clays or salts. Regolith forms primarily through mechanical and chemical weathering, impact comminution, and volcanic or sedimentary processes, and its physical properties—such as grain size distribution, porosity, cohesion, and volatile content—critically influence surface-atmosphere interactions, geotechnical behavior, resource potential, and the performance of in situ exploration and construction activities.
NASA's Mars 2020 rover is continuing to explore a boundary visible from orbit dividing bright, fractured outcrop from darker, smoother regolith (also known as a contact).
Planetary Sciences
Aug 7, 2025
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Scientists have developed a technology that may help humans survive on the moon. In a study published in the journal Joule, researchers extracted water from lunar soil and used it to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and ...
Astrobiology
Jul 16, 2025
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When the first astronauts walked on the moon as part of the Apollo Program, the concept of lunar habitats ceased being the stuff of science fiction and became a matter of scientific study. With several space agencies planning ...
Space Exploration
Jul 15, 2025
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The origin of life is one of the most fundamental and enduring questions of mankind and one of the three greatest Origin Questions in the natural sciences. Recently, China officially launched its Mars Sample Return (MSR) ...
Astrobiology
Jun 26, 2025
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NASA's RASSOR (Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot) undergoes testing to extract simulated regolith, or the loose, fragmental material on the moon's surface, inside of the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 4, 2025
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A team of planetary scientists has developed a promising new way to peer beneath the dusty surface of Mars and other planetary bodies.
Planetary Sciences
May 14, 2025
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What new technologies or methods can be developed for more efficient in-situ planetary subsurface analyses? This is what a recent study presented at the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference hopes to address as a team ...
Planetary Sciences
May 7, 2025
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Lately, there's been plenty of progress in 3D printing objects from the lunar regolith. We've reported on several projects that have attempted to do so, with varying degrees of success. However, most of them require some ...
Planetary Sciences
Apr 28, 2025
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NASA's Artemis campaign will use human landing systems, provided by SpaceX and Blue Origin, to safely transport crew to and from the surface of the moon, in preparation for future crewed missions to Mars. As the landers touch ...
Space Exploration
Apr 25, 2025
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57
NASA's Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) successfully demonstrated its ability to remove regolith, or lunar dust and dirt, from its various surfaces on the moon during Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1, which concluded ...
Space Exploration
Mar 31, 2025
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