WASHINGTON - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is seeking industry input as it works through ambitious plans for permanent infrastructure on the Moon and beyond. In a draft solicitation issued by NASA’s Glenn Research Center, the agency outlined a new initiative to address critical technology gaps in radiation-hardened nuclear power, autonomous resource processing, and extreme-environment electronics required for deep-space survival.

The agency laid out five technological objectives in its draft solicitation under the Lunar Enabling Infrastructure Accelerator (LEIA) program, including advancing Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) subsystems; establish a framework to allow companies to propose commercial viable lunar oxygen production solutions; developing a highly efficient Stirling power converter; enable in-space manufacturing to support long-duration space missions; and support its need to scale up and commercialize high-performance macroscale nanomaterial assemblages for space structures and monitoring devices.

To establish a lunar microgrid, NASA's GRC is targeting a bottleneck in surface power generation: low Technological Readiness Levels (TRL) at the component level. NASA's TRL scale is a standardized framework that measures the maturity of technology, from a scientific concept at TRL 1 to a proven system in use through successful missions at TRL 9.

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Under Topic 1 of the LEIA initiative, the agency is seeking proposals to mature VSAT subsystems from TRL 4 (lab validation) to TRL 5 or 6 (components validated and then demonstrated in a relevant environment). The primary objective is to resolve existing vulnerabilities in power quality, autonomous monitoring, and redundancy, while engineering robust thermal management strategies to handle not only power generation but also the severe lunar temperature swings.

LEIA's Topic 2 addresses chemical processing on the lunar surface to provide sustainable oxygen extraction through its In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) objectives. NASA says that while independent oxygen-from-regolith have reached TRL 5-6, industry has not yet demonstrated a unified, system-level architecture that can regulate oxygen production in a lunar environment.

Lunar power

For deep-space and lunar night survival, when solar energy isn't available, NASA aims to use a highly efficient nuclear power architecture. In Topic 3, the agency focuses on the development and prototyping of Radioisotope Stirling Generator (RSG) systems. NASA says that RSG technology reduces fuel requirements by a factor of three to four compared to current thermoelectric options.

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The technical objective asks industry to design an electrically heated ground prototype that is capable of dynamically throttling to deliver 40-to-50% of full power on command to anchored landers and mobile surface rovers.

Under Topic 4, NASA aims to validate and expand autonomous in-space manufacturing capabilities. The agency seeks to progress from the laboratory phases (TRL 3-4) to operationally validated levels.

NASA is not looking to manufacture a specific item; it is seeking a system capable of producing a wide range of components, tools, and parts. Contractors will need to demonstrate advanced systems capable of processing diverse, multi-feedstock materials, including metals, polymers, and conductive inks, as well as autonomous machine-vision inspection systems that require minimal oversight.

Lunar manufacturing

Finally, NASA outlines in Topic 5 its need for high-performance material innovations that are central to its weight-reduction goals. The agency seeks to scale nanomaterials for future rugged space structures and advance the Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) of one- and two-dimensional nanomaterials from MRL 3-4 up to a repeatable MRL 5.

The primary objective is to establish scalable production methods for carbon-nanotube and advanced composite structures that measurably outperform current aerospace-standard alloys in structural shielding, high-strength cabling, and embedded health-monitoring sensors.

Honest feedback sought

While NASA's lunar and extraplanetary goals outlined are ambitious, the agency wants industry partners to review this draft blueprint and identify any technical flaws, vague requirements, or confusing terms that could make it difficult or overly restrictive for companies to compete and deliver.

Specifically, the agency is asking for an assessment of whether the project's technical scope and evaluation criteria accurately measure real-world capabilities, how the contract's pricing and payment structure should be structured, and the estimated rough costs and main financial drivers for each topic area.

NASA noted responses to this draft solicitation are due by 17 July 2026 at 5 p.m. Eastern. The agency named Linda M. Nabors as the primary point of contact for this project. They can be reached via email at [email protected]. More information is available at https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/5a7fe1267f3a40b4a40ac4470149c61e/view.