Lunar Surface Technology Research (LuSTR) Opportunites

The goal of LuSTR, part of the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII), is to accelerate the development of groundbreaking technologies that support and enable lunar surface activities to be conducted under Artemis – the core of NASA’s exploration and human spaceflight plans for the next decade. As part of the LSII portfolio, LuSTR solicits ideas from universities that can be integrated into Artemis’ sequence of missions that start with the near-term development of enabling infrastructure and lay the foundation for a sustained human and robotic presence.

A Principal Investigator (see solicitation for restrictions) or Co-I may participate in no more than two proposals in response to this appendix.

The LuSTR Appendix exclusively seeks proposals that are responsive to three LSII focus areas: Dust Mitigation, Extreme Access, and In Situ Resource Utilization. Under these focus areas, LuSTR solicits proposals in response to the following three topics:

·        Active Dust Mitigation

·        Lunar Extreme Access and Exploration via Cooperative Multi-Robots

·        Extraction of Metals from Lunar Regolith for Additive Manufacturing

NASA anticipates featuring additional topics, including those in other LSII focus areas, in future Appendix releases.

The financial and programmatic support for LuSTR comes from the Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) Program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate. The STRG Program within STMD is fostering the development of innovative technologies for advanced space systems. Awards are planned to start in October 2023. NASA plans to make up to 4 awards as a result of this LuSTR solicitation. Total budgets are expected to range between $1M and $2M per award, depending on the scope of the proposed project. NASA reserves the right to make no awards under this solicitation or exceed 4, subject to the receipt of meritorious proposals and the availability of funds.

All proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES or through Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) by an authorized organizational representative. Notices of Intent (strongly encouraged) are due by March 22, 2023, with proposals due on or before April 24, 2023, 5 pm Eastern. Detailed submission instructions and due dates are provided in the solicitation. Potential proposers and their proposing organizations are urged to familiarize themselves with the submission system(s), ensure they are registered in NSPIRES, and submit the required proposal materials well in advance of the deadline.

Technical and programmatic comments and questions may be addressed by email to the solicitation mailbox, hq-LuSTR@mail.nasa.gov. Responses to inquiries will be answered by email and may also be included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved. It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor the Internet site for the release of amendments (if any).