NASA to Issue Awards Encouraging Companies to Collect Lunar Regolith Written 11 September 2020
An early concept for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services or CLPS program. | Credit: Ceres Robotics; Aerospace America
Aerospace America reports that NASA “is challenging U.S. and non-U.S. companies to tell it how they would collect between 50 and 500 grams of lunar regolith (three tablespoons to 2.5 cups) and what that would cost.” NASA “will pay between $15,000 and $25,000 for the regolith, Bridenstine said.” Companies “have until Oct. 9 to submit plans for how and when the regolith would be collected. The solicitation specifies only a general timeline and payment structure: The company or companies selected must collect the regolith by 2024 and provide NASA with photos of the regolith and directions for where to find the piles on the lunar surface.” Bridenstine did not give a timeline for when NASA would retrieve the samples collected by the companies.
Full Story (Aerospace America)