Highly Photorealistic Programmable 3D Worlds

Midgard AI is developing a highly photorealistic, programmable 3D lunar simulation environment to support NASA’s modeling and simulation (M&S) needs. Building upon the Phase I feasibility study, Phase II will focus on refining our AI-driven terrain generation pipeline, enhancing physics-based lighting, and ensuring seamless integration with existing NASA simulation frameworks. The goal is to provide a scalable, high-fidelity tool for autonomy validation, sensor simulation, and mission planning in lunar environments. A major challenge in lunar simulation is the current lack of high-resolution, configurable digital elevation models (DEMs) that can accurately represent surface conditions for robotic and crewed exploration. Midgard AI’s approach leverages AI-driven up-resolution techniques, procedural terrain generation, and real-time rendering advancements to bridge this gap. The result is a dynamic, physics-aware lunar world that can be customized based on mission needs, allowing NASA to test autonomous navigation, sensor performance, and operational scenarios with unprecedented accuracy. The platform is designed for flexibility and accessibility, integrating with industry-standard tools and NASA’s proprietary simulation environments. Our focus in Phase II will be on improving terrain realism, implementing physics-based sensor data generation, and expanding the capability for real-time environmental adjustments—essential for mission rehearsal, AI model training, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing. By the end of Phase II, we will deliver a robust prototype at TRL 6, demonstrating operational feasibility within NASA’s workflows. Beyond government applications, this technology has strong commercial potential in aerospace, robotics, and geospatial intelligence, where accurate synthetic environments are critical for simulation and AI training; ensuring that NASA and its partners can simulate and validate next-generation lunar exploration technologies.

Midgard AI’s highly photorealistic, programmable 3D lunar simulation environment directly supports NASA’s Artemis program, as well as future crewed and robotic lunar exploration initiatives. Our technology enables the creation of high-fidelity digital twins of the lunar surface, which can be used to enhance mission planning, validate rover navigation algorithms, and test sensor performance under realistic environmental conditions. With AI-driven terrain up-resolution, real-time physics-based lighting, and customizable surface properties, our solution provides NASA with an adaptable, high-accuracy simulation tool that improves the training and operational readiness of autonomous systems, reducing mission risk and optimizing pre-deployment testing. Midgard AI's capability aligns with NASA’s broader objectives in digital engineering, synthetic environments, and extended reality for astronaut training and human exploration architectures. The ability to model dynamic environmental variables such as lighting conditions, regolith composition, and surface hazards allows NASA to refine lunar mobility strategies and inform critical landing site selections. The technology’s modular framework can be extended beyond lunar applications to simulate planetary bodies such as Mars, Europa, and Titan, making it a scalable and long-term solution for deep-space exploration and scientific missions. Beyond surface operations, this technology contributes to NASA’s research into Human-Robotic Interaction (HRI) by allowing teams to test collaborative operations between astronauts and robotic assistants in a controlled virtual environment.; it also supports ongoing efforts in terrain-relative navigation and hazard detection. By providing a data-driven, physics-aware simulation framework, Midgard AI’s technology enhances the realism and reliability of mission rehearsals, furthering NASA’s goal of advancing sustainable human presence beyond Earth. Midgard AI is actively engaged in cutting-edge artificial intelligence and simulation projects across multiple industries, including government, defense, robotics, and autonomous systems. The company has delivered high-fidelity digital environments, object detection solutions, and generative AI applications to a range of commercial and government partners. Within the defense and intelligence sectors, Midgard AI has supported government agencies in leveraging generative AI for training simulations, creating photorealistic 3D environments for space exploration initiatives, and advancing object detection technologies for domain situational awareness. These projects have enabled enhanced mission readiness, improved AI model performance, and accelerated decision-making capabilities in critical operational environments. In the private sector, Midgard AI has collaborated with leading technology companies to develop synthetic environments for autonomous systems, sensor fusion research, and AI-driven navigation solutions. Efforts have included the development of high-fidelity 3D simulations for autonomous maritime vessels, object detection and inspection for infrastructure monitoring, and digital twin technology for industrial automation. Midgard AI’s extensive experience in AI-based modeling, geospatial intelligence, and synthetic training environments directly informs its approach to this project. The company’s ability to create realistic, physics-based 3D environments, combined with its expertise in AI-driven perception and decision-support tools, ensures that the proposed effort is backed by a strong foundation of technical excellence. This history of successful deployments highlights the company’s capability to transition cutting-edge AI research into operationally viable solutions, making it well-positioned to deliver impactful advancements in NASA

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — 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.