NASA selects 41 proposals from 37 U.S. companies for lunar and Mars technology collaborations

NASA announced the selection of 41 research proposals submitted by 37 American companies under its 2025 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO). The projects aim to mature technologies that support a long‑term presence on the Moon and enable human exploration of Mars, covering areas such as space‑transport propulsion, guidance and navigation, lunar surface power generation, dust‑mitigation covers, in‑space logistics, and in‑orbit servicing.

The agency will provide access to its facilities, software, hardware and experts without exchanging funds; the estimated value of NASA resources is about $30 million, leveraged by roughly $32 million of industry contributions. Agreements will run for 12 to 24 months. Greg Stover, director of NASA’s Advanced Research and Technology Division, said the initiative “empowers American industry to become active partners in NASA’s missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.” Selected firms include Lockheed Martin, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin, Starcloud, Stoke Space and Zeno Power Systems, among others.