SBIR / STTR #SBIR_26B_P1

NASA SBIR Solicitation: Softgoods Habitats with Unprocessed Regolith Shielding

NASA is seeking innovative solutions through its SBIR program to advance deployable softgoods habitats and inflatable structures for space and lunar surface habitation. - Government Buyer: - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - OEMs and Vendors: - No specific Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) or vendors are named in the solicitation - Products/Services Requested: - Proposals for technologies that enable the use of in-situ, unprocessed regolith as shielding for habitats - Focus on deployable softgoods habitats and inflatable structures for crewed missions - No specific products, part numbers, or purchase quantities are listed - Unique or Notable Requirements: - Use of raw, unprocessed regolith for micrometeorite, thermal, and radiation shielding - No sintering, binding, or significant processing of regolith required - Solutions should minimize surface asset requirements and energy/resource consumption - Emphasis on regolith placement, stabilization, and habitat protection from regolith - Opportunity is part of the NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program - No attachments or detailed line items are provided in the solicitation

Description

This solicitation seeks the development of an innovative laser welding system with integrated real-time nondestructive inspection capability for high-quality welds on the lunar surface. The system should support autonomous or semi-autonomous joining of metallic structures for lunar habitat construction, infrastructure assembly, equipment fabrication, and repair operations. It must operate effectively in the extreme lunar environment, addressing challenges such as high vacuum, temperature extremes, radiation, dust contamination, and reduced gravity. The system should also meet operational constraints including limited power, mass and volume restrictions, long-term reliability, and compatibility with astronaut EVA suits.

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