AUTHOR=Dandouras Iannis , Taylor Matt G. G. T. , De Keyser Johan , Futaana Yoshifumi , Bamford Ruth A. , Branduardi-Raymont Graziella , Chaufray Jean-Yves , Constantinescu Dragos , De Angelis Elisabetta , Devoto Pierre , Eastwood Jonathan , Echim Marius , Garnier Philippe , Grison Benjamin , Hercik David , Lammer Helmut , Laurens André , Leblanc François , Milillo Anna , Nakamura Rumi , Přech Lubomír , Roussos Elias , Štverák Štěpán , Forest Julien , Trouche Arnaud , Hess Sébastien L. G. , Mateo-Vélez Jean-Charles , Carpenter James , Winter Josef TITLE=Space plasma physics science opportunities for the lunar orbital platform - Gateway JOURNAL=Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences VOLUME=10 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/astronomy-and-space-sciences/articles/10.3389/fspas.2023.1120302 DOI=10.3389/fspas.2023.1120302 ISSN=2296-987X ABSTRACT=

The Lunar Orbital Platform - Gateway (LOP - Gateway, or simply Gateway) is a crewed platform that will be assembled and operated in the vicinity of the Moon by NASA and international partner organizations, including ESA, starting from the mid-2020s. It will offer new opportunities for fundamental and applied scientific research. The Moon is a unique location to study the deep space plasma environment. Moreover, the lunar surface and the surface-bounded exosphere are interacting with this environment, constituting a complex multi-scale interacting system. This paper examines the opportunities provided by externally mounted payloads on the Gateway in the field of space plasma physics, heliophysics and space weather, and also examines the impact of the space environment on an inhabited platform in the vicinity of the Moon. It then presents the conceptual design of a model payload, required to perform these space plasma measurements and observations. It results that the Gateway is very well-suited for space plasma physics research. It allows a series of scientific objectives with a multi-disciplinary dimension to be addressed.