NASA Solicits Industry to Build the Infrastructure for a Permanent Moon Base

NASA on September 8 issued a solicitation seeking proposals to advance the technology and infrastructure needed to establish a sustainable human presence at the lunar South Pole. The call targets fundamental capability gaps, including power generation, oxygen extraction, and producing construction materials on the Moon.

The solicitation is aimed at maturing and demonstrating the capabilities required for long-term human exploration at the Moon. NASA framed the effort as a partnership with industry intended to strengthen the U.S. industrial base while closing critical technology gaps that stand between reaching the Moon and remaining there.

The call is issued under the NextSTEP-3 Broad Agency Announcement, Appendix A: Lunar Enabling Infrastructure Accelerator. It targets five specific technology areas. The first is vertical solar array technology capable of consistent power generation, management, distribution, and energy storage. The second is in-situ resource utilization oxygen from regolith production, a process to extract usable oxygen molecularly bonded to the rock and dust covering the lunar surface.

The remaining three areas cover a radioisotope Stirling generator, a nuclear energy technology that uses heat from fissile materials to produce electric power for spacecraft systems in the darkest and most remote locations; in-space advanced manufacturing to reduce reliance on resupply missions from Earth; and innovative nanomaterials production to advance the commercial availability and quality of nanomaterials for lunar exploration.

"NASA is accelerating the development of key technologies and closing critical gaps needed for long-term human exploration at the Moon," said Greg Stover, director of NASA's Advanced Research and Technology Division. "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 maintains full and open competition among private industry, academic institutions, and not-for-profit entities, as well as international partners participating through U.S.-led teams.

The solicitation marks a shift in emphasis toward the in-situ resource and infrastructure work a permanent base requires. NASA said the effort is intended to cultivate U.S.-led capabilities in power, oxygen, and material production, the essentials NASA describes as necessary to making the next great leap in lunar exploration.

NASA said it may apply insights gained from the resulting contracts, including technical data and demonstration results, to shape future acquisition strategies. Further information on NextSTEP-3 is available through NASA.