NASA has selected 11 U.S. companies to develop technologies that could support long-term exploration on the Moon and in space. The technologies will expand industrial capabilities to support a sustained human presence on the Moon.
"Partnering with the commercial space industry lets us at NASA harness the strength of American innovation and ingenuity," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "The technologies that NASA is investing in today have the potential to be the foundation of future exploration."
The projects, chosen under the agency’s sixth Tipping Point opportunity, will be funded jointly by NASA and the industry partners. The total expected NASA contribution to the partnerships is $150 million. Each company will contribute from 10-25 percent of the total cost for each respective project. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) will issue milestone-based funded Space Act Agreements lasting up to four years.
The selected technologies support infrastructure and capabilities in space and at the Moon. Six of the selected companies are small businesses. The companies, projects and approximate value of NASA’s contribution are:
Astrobotic Technology | Pittsburgh | $34.6 million
LunaGrid-Lite: Tethered, Scalable Lunar Power Transmission
Big Metal Additive | Denver, Colo. | $5.4 million
Improving Cost and Availability of Space Habitat Structures with Additive Manufacturing
Blue Origin | Kent, Wash. | $34.7 million
In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)-Based Power on the Moon
Freedom Photonics | Santa Barbara, Calif. | $1.6 million
Highly Efficient Watt-Class Direct Diode Lidar for Remote Sensing
Lockheed Martin | Littleton, Colo.| $9.1 million
In-Space Joining Technology
Redwire | Jacksonville, Fla. | $12.9 million
Infrastructure Manufacturing with Lunar Regolith (Moon Dust)
Protoinnovations | Pittsburgh | $6.2 million
The Mobility Coordinator: An Onboard COTS (Commercial-Off-the-Shelf) Software Architecture for Sustainable, Safe, Efficient and Effective Lunar Surface Mobility Operations
Psionic | Hampton Va. | $3.2 million
No-Light Lunar Landing Technology that Reduces Risk, SWaP (Size, Weight, and Power), and Cost
United Launch Alliance | Centennial, Colo. | $25 million
ULA Vulcan Engine Reuse Scale Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator Technology Demonstration
Varda Space Industries | El Segundo, Calif. | $1.9 million
Conformal Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator Tech Transfer and Commercial Production
Zeno Power Systems | Washington D.C | $15 million
A Universal Americium-241 Radioisotope Power Supply for Artemis
"Our partnerships with industry could be a cornerstone of humanity's return to the Moon under Artemis," said Dr. Prasun Desai, acting associate administrator for STMD at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "By creating new opportunities for streamlined awards, we hope to push crucial technologies over the finish line so they can be used in future missions. These innovative partnerships will help advance capabilities that will enable sustainable exploration on the Moon."
For astronauts to spend extended periods of time on the lunar surface, they will need habitats, power, transportation and other infrastructure. Two of the selected projects will use the Moon’s surface material to create infrastructure—a practice called in-situ resource utilization, or ISRU. Redwire will develop technologies that would allow use of lunar regolith to build infrastructure like roads, foundations for habitats, and landing pads.
Blue Origin’s technology could also make use of local resources by extracting elements from lunar regolith to produce solar cells and wire that could then be used to power work on the Moon.
Astrobotic’s proposal will advance technology to distribute power on the Moon’s surface, which is planned to be tested on a future lunar mission. The company’s CubeRover would unreel more than half a mile of high-voltage power line that could be used to transfer power from a production system to a habitat or work area on the Moon.
The remaining six projects will help create new capabilities in other areas of space exploration and Earth observation. Freedom Photonics will develop a novel laser source that could enable a more efficient lidar system.
United Launch Alliance will continue development of inflatable heat shield technology, building on the success of LOFTID (Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator). ULA will further develop the technology for possible use to return large rocket components from low Earth orbit for reuse. Such technology could also be used to land heavier payloads, such as the infrastructure required for crewed missions, on destinations like Mars.