DiLE-ARCon ECI RFI_R2.pdf

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center (LaRC) is hereby soliciting information from potential partners to participate in a proposal development activity that addresses the technical objectives and development of the Demonstration in the Lunar Environment of Autonomous Robotic Construction (DiLE-ARCon) project in response to an Early Career Initiative (ECI) sponsored by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and released on January 13, 2026.

Participation in this partnering synopsis is open to all categories of U.S. and non-U.S.

organizations, including educational institutions, industry, not-for-profit institutions, and other U.S. Government Agencies. Participation by non-U.S. organizations is welcome but subject to NASA’s policy of no exchange of funds, in which each government supports its own national participants and associated costs.

NASA LaRC is seeking partners to participate in developing proposals for and collaborating on potential ECI projects. LaRC is pursuing several topic areas that align with NASA’s space technology priorities and involve a variety of technical areas that could benefit from partnering.

Potential partners must respond to all or in part of the technical challenges provided below.

To establish a sustained human presence on the Lunar surface and meet the objectives outlined in the NASA Moon to Mars Architecture Definition Document (ADD), critical infrastructure such as radiation shelters, plume ejecta barriers, and power/communication towers will be required to protect astronauts and other assets from the harsh Lunar environment. Constructing this infrastructure autonomously using robotic systems prior to the arrival of astronauts can help maximize their focus on critical science and exploration objectives while reducing risk to their safety during construction operations. Modular autonomous robotic construction hardware and software have been developed and reliably demonstrated at NASA many times in lower-fidelity testing environments; however, to increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of this capability and prepare for operating within the uncertainties and limitations of the Lunar environment, these autonomous capabilities must be tested in a higher-fidelity, relevant environment using flight-like robotics and computing hardware. The DiLE-ARCon project team is proposing to conduct a TRL six (6) demonstration of an integrated system autonomously constructing a structure (e.g., plume ejecta barrier) inside a vacuum chamber with Lunar regolith simulant, realistic terrain features, and accurate lighting. This structure will be assembled using mass-efficient materials and vacuum-rated joining methods (e.g., laser beam welding, friction stir welding, mechanical attachment) that have been tested and proven under previous NASA projects. One of the key objectives of this project is to advance the modularity of these autonomous capabilities by demonstrating the interoperability of robotic agents to collaboratively accomplish critical tasks, building different types of structures, and identifying how these systems can be enhanced to assist with infrastructure repair and upgrades going forward, thus minimizing non-recurring engineering costs for future surface missions.

The DiLE-ARCon team is seeking potential partners to provide at least one (1) of two (2) primary robotic systems be incorporated for the final hardware demonstration in Fiscal Year (FY) 2028, including:

• A robotic manipulator with the following capabilities and specifications:

o Minimum of six (6) degrees of freedom (DOF) o Minimum reach of one (1) meter o 10 kg payload capacity at full extension o Must be able to mechanically integrate with an end effector developed by

NASA for component manipulation and joining, or a system to enable multiple end effectors o Must be able to perform assembly tasks such as:

Retrieving, carrying, and manipulating components Positioning components for joining Positioning end effector tool for joining o Control system with capability to track joint rates and positions o Must be able to operate in the final testing environment (i.e., vacuum and lunar simulant) o Partners must provide support for system integration

• A robotic mobility system with the following capabilities and specifications:

o 70 kg minimum payload capacity o Must support robot arm and payload with one (1) meter reach and six (6) kg payload without tipping o Must provide mechanical and electrical interface with robotic manipulator, including power o Battery-operated power (four (4) or more hours of operation) o Traverse a range of 100s of meters without re-charging (i.e. multiple traversals of the test environment) o Must be able to traverse on uneven terrain with a maximum grade of 20% o Must be able to perform assembly tasks such as:

Transport a robotic manipulator around worksite Transport materials around worksite o Wireless communication system o Control system with capability to track the commands for speed and heading angle rate o Must be able to operate in the final testing environment (i.e., vacuum and lunar regolith simulant) o Partners must provide support for system integration

• An integrated mobility and robotic manipulator system with the specifications listed above will also be considered.

• Note, temperature will not be a controlled variable in the test environment.

Ideal partner candidates must have experience in robotic system development, operations, and demonstrations, and be able to provide a robotic manipulator and/or mobility system meeting the requirements listed above, including the relevant software and hardware for integrating the robotic system into the autonomous robotic construction architecture. The partner must have the personnel and facilities required to perform any necessary software or hardware testing on the systems they are delivering to the team.

Partners must participate in laboratory demonstrations by providing support for demonstration planning, execution, data analysis, and other supporting activities. They may also conduct various proof of concept mini demonstrations prior to and in support of project major milestone demonstrations. The ideal partner may contribute some, but not all, work or resources to the project in-kind, which should be described within the partner’s proposal submission.

Partners who are planning to expand services provided on the Lunar/Mars surface and who would benefit from incorporating DiLE-ARCon technology transfer are potential candidates. In addition, partners who can demonstrate interest in and capabilities in advancing low TRL technology to the TRL5+ range would be beneficial. Partners having relevant and ongoing work in developing capabilities for autonomous robotic construction in lunar environments must provide subject-matter-expert (SME) consultations.

The potential partner’s cost estimate for the provided systems must include:

• Development and material costs for any software and/or hardware upgrades needed to meet the technical specifications listed above

• Delivery of their system to NASA LaRC, or designated alternate testing site, and removal of system once testing is complete

• Travel and labor for team members assisting with system integration before, during, and after testing, which will be conducted in FY28

This partnering opportunity does not guarantee selection for award of any contracts or other agreements, nor is it to be construed as a commitment by NASA to pay for the information solicited. It is expected that the partner(s) selected would provide (at no cost to NASA) technical requirements, conceptual designs, technical data, proposal input, project schedules, and cost estimates. If the proposal is subsequently selected, NASA Langley anticipates issuing contracts or other agreements to the selected partner(s) for the performance of the proposed tasks.

Partner selections will be made by NASA Langley based on the listed criteria:

1. Technology Solutions and Technical Approach. This criterion evaluates the proposed technology solution and implementation techniques based on the specifications noted above.

2. Technical Qualifications. This criterion evaluates the technical expertise/capabilities and innovativeness of the external partner in leading and/or executing activities related to the topics above; and the resources (skills and time) that would be allocated to the potential proposal development phase.

3. Cost. This criterion evaluates the overall cost of development and delivery of the robotic system(s) proposed by the partner. Any existing technology that can be loaned at no extra-cost for the duration of the project is preferred.

4. Amenable to collaborative solutions. This criterion evaluates how the proposer intends to collaborate with NASA personnel to iterate on design ideas to arrive at appropriate technological solutions and test environments.

RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS: Interested firms having the required capabilities necessary to meet the above requirements for one (1) or more of the primary robotic systems described herein must submit a capability statement of no more than five (5) pages in not less than 12-point font and 1-inch margins, indicating the ability to perform all aspects of the effort. Responses must address each of the evaluation criteria listed above. Resumes of key personnel and a cover page that clearly identifies the topic area addressed by the response do not count against the total allocated page count. Please advise if the requirement is a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in FAR 2.101.

All responses must be submitted electronically via e-mail to Esther Lee (esther.lee@nasa.gov), Matthew Mahlin (matthew.k.mahlin@nasa.gov), and Jessica Friz (jessica.s.friz@nasa.gov) no later than 4:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) February 18, 2026. Questions may be directed to Esther Lee (esther.lee@nasa.gov).

This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. NASA will not reimburse organizations for the cost of submitting information in response to this partnering opportunity. NASA will not pay for technical assessment or proposal preparation costs incurred by the respondent.

Respondents will be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemed fully qualified will be considered in any resultant partnering selections for the requirement.

mailto:esther.lee@nasa.gov mailto:matthew.k.mahlin@nasa.gov mailto:jessica.s.friz@nasa.gov mailto:esther.lee@nasa.gov