Lunar Night Survival and Long-Range Communications for Distributed Robotics Assets (LNS-SBIR SEQ)

In preparation for a human return as well as directly support crewed operations, robotic platforms are necessary to learn more about the lunar environment, identify where resources are located, and determine how to extract them. Robotic systems are also needed to supplement crew capabilities on the surface, offload hazardous activities from crews, and reduce astronaut time spent on non-mission critical activities. Creating systems that can survive multiple lunar days and traverse several kilometers is necessary to enable these kinds of groundbreaking missions and increase asset return on investment, however, such systems must be proven to survive and thrive in the incredibly challenging lunar environment before they can be relied upon.To address these challenges, Astrobotic proposes the development of four technological innovations: (1) the first commercial mobility as a service demonstration on the Moon, (2) an ultra-compact, lightweight radioisotope heater (RHU) to enable night survival of rovers on the lunar surface, (3) a long-range software-defined radio (SDR) for rover-to-orbital asset communication to enable long-distance lunar surface communication, (4) and the first lunar in-situ mobility testing to characterize the surface and inform trafficability of lightweight lunar robots. These technologies will be developed, tested, integrated onto Astrobotic's CubeRover platform, and demonstrated on the lunar surface on Astrobotic's next polar lander mission in this project. This project will advance a lunar night-survival and long-range CubeRover, lowering risk and facilitating business opportunities for commercial companies and NASA to leverage these new technologies for future missions. Astrobotic will develop, test, and fly lunar night survival and long range communication technologies onboard its CubeRover platform.

​This mission has the potential to usher in a new era of robust lunar robotics where instruments and payloads can survive months to years on the Moon's surface. To make full use of lunar night survivability and robust operations, rovers also need to be capable of driving long distances away from their host landers. This mission will also demonstrate CubeRover's use of satellite communication relays, which will significantly extend its range.  CubeRover will survive longer and drive farther than any lunar rover in its class, taking a major step forward in opening the Moon to sustained long-term robotic operations. The mission has 1 kilogram of payload capacity available for a payload team looking to take advantage of this capability. This project will advance a lunar night-survival and long-range CubeRover, lowering technical and operational risk and facilitating business opportunities for commercial companies and NASA to leverage these new technologies for future missions.

This is a mature technology (TRL 8) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.