Attachment 1_Directed Call Surface Pwr.pdf

NextSTEP-3 Appendix B: Attachment 1 Directed-Topic Call 1 – Initial Surface Power

1 Overview and Mission Need This Directed-Topic Call defines the mission need, objectives, and desired outcomes to enable Initial Surface Power in support of NASA’s Moon Base Program.

As NASA establishes the foundational infrastructure for the Moon Base at the lunar South Pole, continuous and reliable power is the most critical shared resource. The South Pole environment presents unique lighting challenges, including low-angle illumination, dynamic shadows, and periods of extreme cold and darkness lasting 300+ hours or more.

To meet long-term power infrastructure needs, NASA requires rapid integration and demonstration of mature power systems. This topic seeks proposals for integrated power systems or critical sub-systems capable of transitioning from ground-based environmental testing to a localized lunar surface demonstration no later than 2029.

Note on NextSTEP-3 Appendix A (LEIA): Offerors seeking to mature foundational power sub-systems—such as Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) thermal controls or electrical interfaces—from TRL 4 to 6 via ground-based simulation should submit under the NextSTEP-3 Appendix A (LEIA) solicitation. Proposals submitted to this Appendix B topic must be mature enough to bypass exploratory subsystem development and proceed to flight integration and lunar surface demonstration.

2 Objectives The primary objective of this call is to integrate and demonstrate various concepts at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 or higher, culminating in a flight and surface demonstration.

Offerors may propose fully integrated systems or highly mature sub-systems within the capability areas below. Successful demonstrations will be expected to meet or exceed the target metrics listed below.

For each concept proposed, offerors must provide validated data demonstrating how the prototype architecture can be seamlessly scaled to meet full-scale systems necessary to achieve longer-term Moon Base needs (e.g., lifetime).

2.1 Power Generation

Deployable power generation optimized for the South Pole lighting environment.

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2.1.1 Target Metric: Generation and Deployment

Demonstrate successful deployment and continuous power generation sufficient for providing a minimum of 1-2 kW up to 5-10 kW at 120 Vdc to receiver payloads in South Pole environment.

Forward-Compatibility Note: While initial 2029 flight demonstrations require 120 Vdc output, offerors should consider how their power conditioning architecture can evolve to enable direct connection with future Moon Base High Voltage AC (HV AC) power grids.

NASA is currently evaluating 3000 V, 3-phase AC operating at 1000 Hz as the standard interface for these future grids. Offerors are requested to provide feedback on this 3000V AC pathway, including the engineering implications in the lunar environment (e.g., mass impacts on magnetics, thermal loads, transmission line impedance, and mitigation of dust-induced arcing) and/or evidence-based recommendations for alternative voltage/frequency levels or architectural paths.

2.2 Wireless Power Transfer

Dust-tolerant wireless charging sub-systems that enable power transfer from a centralized generation source to lunar surface assets. Assume co-located with the power source.

2.2.1 Target Metric: Inductive Transfer

Demonstrate sustained, stable wireless power transfer to a receiver payload at ≥ 100 W, without overheating.

2.2.2 Target Metric: Beaming (Optical or RF)

Demonstrate sustained target acquisition, pointing stability, and power transfer to a receiver payload at ≥ 50 W across a minimum distance of ≥ 100 meters. The demonstration must maintain safe thermal limits at the receiver and include failsafes for beam interruption (sensor/asset safety) or stray RF radiation.

2.3 Autonomous Cable Deployment and Transfer

A system capable of autonomously deploying a power cable across the lunar surface and wirelessly transferring power from a centralized generation source to lunar surface assets.

2.3.1 Target Metric: Deployment and Transfer

Demonstrate the successful autonomous surface deployment of a power cable a minimum of 10 meters from the power source and sustained, stable wireless power transfer to a receiver payload at ≥ 100 W, without overheating. Note: Self-sufficient survival of the deployment system through the lunar night is NOT required for this demonstration.

2.4 Energy Storage (Survive-the-Night)

High-capacity, mass-efficient, re-chargeable energy storage solutions capable of supporting asset survival and operation through continuous lunar darkness.

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2.4.1 Target Metric: Survival and Recharge

Demonstrate successful thermal management and core system survival through 300+ hours of total darkness, providing ≥100 W continuous power to a receiver payload, with a combined mass of ≤250kg. Additionally, demonstrate the successful recharge of the system upon the return of solar illumination (or via host power), maintaining safe thermal limits during the charging cycle. Note: Offerors must also provide validated data and/or analysis demonstrating how their proposed architecture scales to meet a longer-term target metric of 2–3 kW of continuous survival power for future Moon Base operations.

2.5 Dust-Tolerance and Prevention

Surface demonstration of active or passive dust mitigation systems that protect power generation and thermal surfaces from degradation. If applicable, this capability may be combined with other proposed capabilities by the offeror.

2.5.1 Target Metric

Prove that power generation efficiency, mechanical deployments, and/or physical mating connectors can operate nominally after exposure to plume-surface interaction (PSI) ejecta and ambient electrostatic lunar dust. This includes the successful demonstration of integrated active or passive dust-prevention systems.

3 Statement of Objectives and Demonstration Timeline Proposals must present a clear, aggressive, and highly credible path to flight. NASA is interested in understanding what could be flight-ready in 2027, 2028, and 2029.

For the proposed capability objective(s) in Section 2, the offeror’s workflow should clearly detail both completed and remaining testing needs demonstrated in the following areas:

• Ground-Based Environmental Testing. Integration of flight-like hardware and sub-systems. Testing in simulated lunar environments (e.g., thermal vacuum, abrasive lunar dust simulants, and South Pole lighting simulators) to validate performance.

• Flight Integration and Lunar Surface Demonstration. Delivery of the hardware to the lunar surface via a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) lander or an early Artemis delivery system.

Note on Prior Testing: Offerors that have already completed some or all of the ground-based environmental testing outlined above may propose an accelerated timeline or direct entry into flight integration and demonstration activities. To justify this accelerated approach, the proposal must include documented evidence (e.g., verified test reports, environmental test data) demonstrating that the previously completed testing meets the rigor required for lunar environmental validation.

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Note: Offerors proposing nuclear/radioisotope materials must provide a highly credible timeline for NEPA, interagency, and launch safety approvals.

4 Proposal Considerations and Demonstration Configurations Due to the evolving capabilities of lunar delivery vehicles and budget availability, offerors must design for flexibility and clearly articulate the operational boundaries of their systems. Proposals must address the following:

A. Demonstration Configurations

Offerors must outline the technical approach, resource constraints (mass, volume), and pricing for two distinct flight demonstration configurations:

• Configuration A (Standalone / Self-Sufficient Payload): Operates entirely independently of the delivery vehicle once deployed and includes all necessary internal provisions—such as its own thermal management, avionics, and communications relay— to achieve the stated exit criteria without drawing resources from the host lander.

• Configuration B (Hosted / Integrated System): Operates as an element of an integrated system and relies on shared infrastructure.

Note: For both configurations, offerors must clearly articulate the physical resource constraints (mass, volume, footprint) and interface requirements (data, thermal, electrical) their system will impose on the delivery vehicle. The Government reserves the right to select the configuration that best aligns with available funding and lunar delivery vehicle capabilities at the time of RFP awards.

B. System Robustness and Performance Range

To inform NASA's understanding of industry capabilities, offerors must characterize the full range of performance their concept can accommodate. Offerors should address the system’s ability to adapt to varying operational conditions, including at a minimum:

• Load Management: The range of loads (steady-state, variable, and transient/peak) the system can support, and its ability to maintain stable, high-quality power output during rapid changes in demand.

• Off-Nominal Operations & Fault Tolerance: The system's behavior across expected and off-nominal conditions, including graceful degradation, fault tolerance, and the ability to sustain critical functions under partial failure or reduced-capacity conditions.

• Scalability & Design Margins: Key design margins, trade-offs that constrain or expand the performance range, and the system's ability to seamlessly scale to meet growing Moon Base demands over time. For generation systems, this includes the engineering viability of transitioning from 120 Vdc to High Voltage AC micro-grid interoperability.

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• Basis of Confidence: The maturity and evidence basis (e.g., physics-based analysis, ground test data, heritage hardware) underlying the stated performance range. Note:

Offerors must clearly distinguish between currently demonstrated capability and projected/anticipated capability, explicitly identifying the assumptions upon which projected performance depends.

C. Standards Compliance

All proposed hardware and interface designs must comply with lunar power exchange interface requirements of the International Space Power System Interoperability Standards (ISPSIS).

Additional standards may be imposed within the RFP.

5 Submission Dates and Times Interested offerors should review the full BAA requirements and submit complete white papers by 5:00 CST on August 17, 2026, to be considered for contract awards. Visit SAM.gov for up-to-date information on submission dates and times, as the dates on SAM.gov take precedence over the schedule below. The announcement on SAM.gov can be found under Solicitation Number

80MSFC26R0003.

Schedule for Direct Call 1: Initial Surface Power Step 1 White Papers Due August 17, 2026 Proposal Invitations Sent August 31, 2026 Step 2 Proposals Due September 30, 2026 Awards Announced* October 16, 2026

*Date is an estimate