Space Technology Mission Directorate

Building capabilities to support America’s presence
on the Moon and beyond.  

A view of lunar sunset from the SCALPSS cameras on Firefly's Blue Ghost.

To support NASA’s goals of returning humans to the Moon for long-term missions through Artemis, the agency’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII), within the Space Technology Mission Directorate, brings together a full range of stakeholders including NASA experts, industry, small business, academia, entrepreneurs and non-profit institutions to bring new technologies online for long-duration surface missions.   

Technology development areas include power and thermal management, autonomous robotics, excavation and construction, and dust mitigation to address capabilities to support successful missions on the Moon. Maturation of technologies leads to ground demonstrations, test flights, and demonstrations in relevant lunar environments. Several technologies supported by LSII have flown with providers through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, demonstrating successfully on the Moon while returning valuable data.  

Cross-Sector Collaboration

Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC)

The Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) brings together government, academia, non-profit institutions, and the private sector to identify technology solutions for achieving a sustained presence on the surface of the Moon, both human and robotic.   

LSIC centers its work on NASA’s Lunar Infrastructure key capability areas such as surface power and thermal systems, in-situ resource utilization, excavation and construction, dust mitigation, environments, logistics, and robotics and autonomy.  The Consortium provides a forum for NASA to communicate technological requirements, needs, and opportunities; and for the community to share with NASA existing capabilities and critical gaps.   

Visit LSIC’s Official Website about Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC)

SAVE THE DATE

2026 LSIC Fall Meeting

The 2026 Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) Fall Meeting will be held at the Georgia Institute of Technology on October 14-15, 2026. More information and registration details are coming soon!


Learn More About LSIC

LSIC by the Numbers

~4,000 members from government, industry, academia, non-profit organizations~100,000 hours developing ​relevant content, ​equivalent to ~50 years​ of knowledge building ​ 1,000+ private sector organizations  50 states, District of Columbia (D.C.), 
Puerto Rico, Guam; 73 countries   

LSIC Bi-Annual Meetings

Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) Spring and Fall meetings bring together leading experts in the field of lunar surface technology development whose goal is to harness the best technologies in the nation to advance a U.S.-led sustainable lunar economy. Community members and stakeholders share developments and findings in a wide array of capability areas that are of priority to NASA, including surface power, environments, In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), excavation and construction, and dust mitigation – with a shared goal of accelerating progress and expediting development. 

Exploring the Moon with American Companies

Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)

Through CLPS, NASA is working with American companies to deliver scientific, exploration, and technology payloads to the Moon’s surface and orbit.


Learn More

Learning Resources: NASA’s Lunar Activities

Illustrated cover of a rocket design blueprint standing upright on the surface of a stylized celestial body, with Earth, Moon, Mars, and Venus in the distance.

NASA’s Moon to Mars Objectives

Learn more about NASA’s 63 top-level goals for Moon to Mars exploration, designed to inform plans for sustained human presence throughout the solar system.

A generated rendition of Earth's Moon just barely glowing in the front of the image as Mars is highlighted behind it.

NASA’S Moon to Mars Architecture

A summary of the 2022 Architecture concept review process and results feeding into NASA’s Moon to Mars strategy.

This image, based on data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, shows the face of the Moon we see from Earth. The more we learn about our nearest neighbor, the more we begin to understand the Moon as a dynamic place with useful resources that could one day even support human presence. Credits: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University

Commercial Lunar Payload Services

NASA is working with several American companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

Apollo vs. Artemis

Artemis: Why We Are Going

We’re going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. While maintaining American leadership in exploration, we will build a global alliance and explore deep space for the benefit of all.

Image showing the flags of the nations that have signed the Artemis Accords

Artemis Accords

To date, 24 countries have joined the accords and committed to establishing a peaceful, prosperous future in space. More countries will sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead to ensure the entire world can benefit from our journey of exploration and discovery.

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The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA’s Orion spacecraft on April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II mission. Orion is visible in the foreground on the left. Earth is reflecting sunlight at the left edge of the Moon, which is slightly brighter than the rest of the disk. The bright spot visible just below the Moon’s bottom right edge is Saturn. Beyond that, the bright spot at the right edge of the image is Mars.