[georgecmu]

I had an interesting experience a few years back as a reviewer for proposals to NASA LuSTR program: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/space-tech-research-g...

The topic was exactly that: landing pad preparation solutions. Here's a summary slide for one of the winning proposals: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/lustr2021_qu...

The Autonomous Site Preparation: Excavation, Compaction, and Testing (ASPECT) Project will develop tools and methods to clear, level, and compact the lunar surface. ASPECT is a fully autonomous rover with equipment for regolith excavation, boulder moving, and surface compaction.