NASA Seeks Proposals to Develop Lunar South Pole Technologies

NASA announced a solicitation on Tuesday, Sept. 8, seeking proposals to advance the technology and infrastructure needed to explore the Moon and establish a Moon Base in the lunar South Pole region. The call targets gaps in power generation, oxygen extraction, and producing materials on the Moon for construction and operations.

"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, called NextSTEP-3 Broad Agency Announcement Appendix A: Lunar Enabling Infrastructure Accelerator, aims to mature and demonstrate capabilities in five areas: vertical solar array technology for consistent power generation, management, distribution and storage; in-situ resource utilization to extract oxygen from regolith, the rock and dust covering the Moon's surface, where oxygen is molecularly bonded to the material; radioisotope Stirling generators, which use heat from fissile materials to produce electric power in the darkest, dustiest and most remote lunar locations; in-space advanced manufacturing to reduce reliance on resupply missions from Earth; and production of nanomaterials for lunar exploration.

The solicitation aims to build U.S.-led capabilities while keeping 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.

NASA said it may apply insights from the resulting contracts, including technical data and demonstration results, to shape future acquisition strategies.