Partnering Opportunity for the Demonstration in the Lunar Environment of Autonomous Robotic Construction (DiLE-ARCon) Project

NASA's Langley Research Center has issued a Special Notice soliciting partners for the Demonstration in the Lunar Environment of Autonomous Robotic Construction (DiLE-ARCon) project. This partnering opportunity is sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate under an Early Career Initiative released on January 13, 2026. The notice seeks potential contractors and partners to participate in proposal development activities for an autonomous robotic construction system intended for lunar infrastructure development. This is a source-sought and information-gathering notice rather than a binding procurement; selected partners would receive contracts or other agreements for the proposed work. The solicitation was posted on February 4, 2026, and represents NASA's effort to engage the private sector in advancing space technology capabilities.

The DiLE-ARCon project aims to conduct a Technology Readiness Level 6 demonstration in Fiscal Year 2028, with the primary objective of showcasing integrated robotic systems that can autonomously construct structures such as radiation shelters and plume ejecta barriers in a vacuum chamber using lunar regolith simulant. Interested firms must submit capability statements not exceeding five pages (12-point font, 1-inch margins) by February 18, 2026, at 4:30 pm EDT to the specified NASA contacts. Partner selection criteria include technology solutions and technical approach, technical qualifications and resources, cost considerations (with preference for loaned existing technology at no additional cost), and amenability to collaborative solutions. NASA seeks at least one of two primary robotic systems: either a robotic manipulator with six degrees of freedom, one-meter reach, and 10 kg payload capacity, or a robotic mobility system with 70 kg minimum payload capacity and extended operational duration. Partners must provide software and hardware integration support, participate in laboratory demonstrations, and submit cost estimates for development, system delivery, and team support.