Partnering Opportunity for Accurate Lunar Surveyor and Terrain-mapping Autonomous Rover (ALSTAR) Lidar

NASA Langley Research Center has issued a Special Notice for the Accurate Lunar Surveyor and Terrain-mapping Autonomous Rover (ALSTAR) Lidar project, which is part of NASA's Early Career Initiative (ECI). The notice seeks potential partners to collaborate on developing a sophisticated 2D detector array and Readout Integrated Circuit (ROIC) capable of measuring Time-of-Flight of photons at 20 Hz or higher. This technology is designed to support advanced lunar terrain mapping and surveying capabilities, with specific technical requirements including 2.5 cm range resolution and 10 dB contrast. The project is specifically focused on leveraging early career NASA employees' expertise and innovation in space technology development. The Special Notice was published on January 22, 2025, with responses due by January 31, 2025.

The primary objective of this Special Notice is to identify and partner with organizations capable of delivering a space-qualifiable packaged camera within 12 months, with total project funding of up to $1.0M per year for two years. Eligible participants include both U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, such as educational institutions, industry partners, nonprofits, and government agencies, with special encouragement for HBCUs, minority universities, and small disadvantaged businesses. Partner selection will be based on four key evaluation criteria: Technical Qualifications (55 points), Management Approach (25 points), Teaming and Workforce Approach (10 points), and Agile Approaches Used in the Past (10 points). Contractors must submit capability statements of no more than 5 pages, and at least half of the core project team must consist of NASA early career employees, with a NASA early career employee serving as the Project Lead. Non-U.S. participants are required to support their own costs, and no direct exchange of funds will be permitted for foreign organizations.