NASA has selected 41 technology proposals from 37 U.S. companies to help develop capabilities needed for future missions to the Moon and Mars. The selection is part of the agency’s 2025 Collaboration Opportunity Announcement (ACO), which aims to accelerate innovation in areas such as space transportation, planetary surface operations, and infrastructure for long-term exploration of the Moon.
“We are helping U.S. industry become an active partner in NASA’s missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” said Greg Stover, director of the Advanced Research and Technology Division in the NASA Research and Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By leveraging commercial industry, NASA can rapidly develop critical capabilities to support our most ambitious missions while fostering the nation’s robust space economy.”
NASA Collaboration Program Supports Space Innovation
Rather than providing direct funding, ACOs create partnerships that allow companies to collaborate with NASA by leveraging NASA facilities, hardware, software, and technical expertise. In return, companies can accelerate the development of technology that could benefit both commercial customers and future government space missions.
Since the program’s inception in 2015, NASA has supported more than 110 projects through these collaborations. The agency estimates it contributed about $30 million in resources, and participating companies invested an additional $32 million. The individual agreements are expected to last between 12 and 24 months, with the final schedule being negotiated separately.
In the 2025 round, companies proposed technologies in areas that NASA has identified as high priorities for public-private partnerships. These include propulsion components, guidance and navigation systems, landing technology, space services, assembly and manufacturing, and energy management systems.
New technologies for the exploration of the Moon and Mars
The selected projects cover a wide range of technologies that have the potential to enhance future exploration missions.
power generation
Lockheed Martin plans to advance a compact, modular power system designed to generate electricity on the moon’s permanently shadowed regions, where sunlight never reaches. The technology is intended to help astronauts and space equipment survive long lunar nights. The company also plans to continue developing wireless power transfer systems using fiber lasers and space-based heat removal systems to improve the durability of power beam technology.
In space logistics
Kall Morris Inc. will further develop Asteria, a complementary payload attachment system designed for use on legacy, current, and future spacecraft. This system uses a non-destructive controlled release adhesive that installs without the need for built-in mounting hardware. NASA says the technology could improve spacecraft maneuvering, object tracking, satellite protection, data collection and mission life extension.
Dust reduction technology
Moonprint Solutions, a small business, develops flexible protective covers that protect equipment from the moon’s abrasive dust. The cover can conform to complex shapes to protect a variety of components, including joints, hoses, and other moving hardware on the rover and robot. The technology could also support long-term operations on both the Moon and Mars.
Supporting the commercial space economy
NASA says the selected projects could have benefits beyond future exploration missions. As the technology matures, it has the potential to strengthen the commercial space sector by opening up new markets, reducing costs, expanding customer choice, and introducing entirely new capabilities for space operations.
