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NASA Taps 41 Technologies From U.S. Companies to Power Future Moon and Mars Missions
The selections target lunar power generation, orbital debris cleanup and dust protection as NASA leans on private industry to grow the commercial space economy
Published: July 19, 2026
NASA has chosen 41 technology proposals from 37 American companies to help develop capabilities needed for future missions to the Moon and Mars. The selections are part of the agency's 2025 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, designed to accelerate innovation in space transportation, planetary surface operations and infrastructure for long-term lunar exploration.
Rather than providing direct funding, the program creates partnerships that let companies work alongside NASA using the agency's facilities, hardware and technical expertise. Since 2015, NASA has supported more than 110 such projects, contributing roughly 30 million dollars in resources while participating companies have invested about 32 million dollars of their own.
Among the selected projects, Lockheed Martin plans to advance a compact, modular power system designed to generate electricity in the Moon's permanently shadowed regions, where sunlight never reaches, helping astronauts and equipment survive the extended lunar night. Kall Morris Inc. will develop a supplemental payload attachment system that relies on a controlled-release adhesive, which NASA says could improve spacecraft maneuvering, satellite protection and mission life extension.
Small business Moonprint Solutions is meanwhile developing flexible protective covers that shield equipment from the Moon's highly abrasive dust, an issue that has damaged hardware on past missions. Because the covers can conform to complex shapes, they could protect rovers, robotic joints, hoses and other moving parts, with the technology potentially useful on Mars as well.
NASA says the selected technologies could benefit more than exploration missions alone. As they mature, officials expect them to strengthen the broader commercial space sector by opening new markets, reducing costs and introducing capabilities that did not previously exist for space operations.
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