NASA announced on Tuesday, Sept. 8, a solicitation for proposals to accelerate the development of technologies needed for lunar exploration and the establishment of a Moon Base in the lunar South Pole region. The agency is targeting capability gaps in areas like power generation, oxygen extraction, and on-site material production.
The NextSTEP-3 Broad Agency Announcement Appendix A: Lunar Enabling Infrastructure Accelerator aims to mature and demonstrate capabilities in five key areas. These include vertical solar array technology for consistent power, in-situ resource utilization for extracting oxygen from lunar regolith, radioisotope Stirling generators for nuclear energy, in-space advanced manufacturing to reduce reliance on Earth-based resupply, and innovative nanomaterials production.
According to Greg Stover, director of NASA’s Advanced Research and Technology Division, “NASA is accelerating the development of key technologies and closing critical gaps needed for long-term human exploration at the Moon.” Stover also stated that partnering with industry will “strengthen the U.S. industrial base as we mature the capabilities and infrastructure needed for a sustainable lunar presence.”
The solicitation is open to U.S.-led teams including private industry, academic institutions, and not-for-profit entities, as well as international partners. NASA intends to use data and results from awarded contracts to inform future acquisition strategies.
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