Request for Information (RFI) Enabling Commercial Lunar Transportation to Support a Sustained Lunar Base

NASA’s RFI 26‑01‑PS70 seeks input from established commercial providers and new entrants to shape a future acquisition strategy for Artemis Commercial Lunar Transportation that can deliver the cadence needed to establish and sustain a permanent, continuously crewed lunar base. Respondents must describe an end‑to‑end human‑transport architecture—from Earth launch through orbital transfer (e.g., NRHO or alternative staging) to return—detailing launch and surface‑to‑surface cadence (initially one crewed surface mission per provider every six months), autonomous, loiter, quiescent or dormant operation concepts, and the feasibility of manual crew‑control during selected phases. The response must address interoperability with existing and future Human Landing System (HLS) providers (rendezvous, proximity operations, docking, interface standards), certification basis (NASA, commercial, or hybrid), safety and abort strategies, hazard control, and the integration of secondary scientific or technology‑demonstration payloads without compromising the primary human‑transport mission. Additional requirements include evolution pathways from the current Artemis architecture to a commercially sustainable system, maturity assessments of key technologies (including low‑TRL items and mitigation plans), high‑tempo manufacturing and reuse strategies, phased uncrewed and crewed demonstration plans with ROM cost estimates, and a business case covering domestic sourcing, Buy‑American compliance, and potential non‑NASA customers. Respondents must also outline teaming arrangements, use of NASA‑center resources, assumptions on data, tooling, facilities, and intellectual‑property rights, and provide an executive summary, detailed technical response, and optional appendices in the prescribed PDF format by 23 April 2026.

Notice ID

4308504060cd403087e2877dc1461976

Solicitation Number

26-01-PS70

NAICS Code

N/A

Classification Code

N/A