[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 187 (Friday, September 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60493-60494]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21138]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice: (20-076)]


Centennial Challenges Watts on the Moon Challenge Phase 1

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of Centennial Challenges Watts on the Moon Challenge 
Phase 1.

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SUMMARY: The Watts on the Moon Challenge is open and teams that wish to 
compete may now register. Centennial Challenges is a program of prize 
competitions to stimulate innovation in technologies of interest and 
value to NASA and the nation. The Watts on the Moon Challenge is a 
prize competition with up to a $5,000,000 USD total prize purse to 
incentivize advances in lunar power distribution, energy storage, and/
or power management. At this time, NASA is opening Phase 1 of the 
competition, which has a $500,000 USD prize purse. In this phase of 
competition, teams will develop concept proposals for technologies to 
address one or more ``mission activities'' in a hypothetical mission 
scenario based on anticipated mission operations and environmental 
features of human and robotic exploration of the lunar surface. NASA is 
funding the prize purse and administration of the challenge 
competition.

DATES: Phase 1 registration opens September 25, 2020 and will remain 
open until March 25, 2021. No further requests for registration will be 
accepted after this date.
    Other important dates:

September 25, 2020--Phase 1 registration opens
March 25, 2021--Deadline for registration
May 20, 2021--Phase 1 winners announced

ADDRESSES: The Watts on the Moon Challenge Phase 1 will be conducted 
virtually. The Challenge competitors will develop and submit their 
concept proposals from their own location.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register for or get additional 
information regarding the Watts on the Moon Challenge, please visit: 
www.nasa.gov/wattson.
    For general information on the NASA Centennial Challenges Program 
please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/challenges. General questions and 
comments regarding the program should be addressed to Monsi Roman, 
Centennial Challenges Program, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, 
Huntsville, AL 35812 at 256-544-4071. Email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Summary

    In the first phase of competition, teams will develop concept 
proposals for technologies to address one or more ``mission 
activities'' in a hypothetical mission scenario based on anticipated 
mission operations and environmental features of human and robotic 
exploration of the lunar surface. The Mission Scenario and the three 
associated Mission Activities are based on anticipated mission 
operations and environmental features of human and robotic exploration 
of the lunar surface. The characteristics of the Mission Scenario are 
purposefully intended to incentivize a wide variety of innovative 
technology solutions to the overall challenge of high capacity, 
adaptable, and reliable lunar power distribution and management systems 
that will be critical to the well-being and productivity of human crew 
and fledgling lunar surface industries.
    The three Mission Activities present different combinations of 
power or energy capacity, distance between energy sources and the site 
of activity operations, mobility features, system mass limitations, and 
operational duty cycles that must be accommodated by teams. The 
activities each specify distinct operational consumption of electrical 
and/or thermal energy but are open to solutions that involve conversion 
between one and the other. The activities are intended to be 
essentially independent of the nature of the energy source employed, 
but competitive solutions will involve identifying and incorporating 
assumptions about an energy source into their concept.

I. Prize Amounts

    The Watts on the Moon Challenge total prize purse is up to 
$5,000,000 USD (five million dollars) to be awarded across two (2) 
phases of competition.
    Prize purse for Phase 1 will total up to $500,000. Up to three (3) 
winning teams, as determined by the Judging Panel, will be awarded 
$100,000 each. Up to four (4) runner-up teams will receive up to 
$50,000 each.

[[Page 60494]]

    The Prize Purse for Phase 2, should there be promising submissions 
in Phase 1 that demonstrate a viable approach, will be worth up to 
$4,500,000.

II. Eligibility

Eligibility To Participate and Win Prize Money

    To be eligible to win a prize:
     Individuals must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents 
of the United States and be 18 years of age or older.
     Organizations must be an entity incorporated in and 
maintaining a primary place of business in the United States.
     Teams must be comprised of otherwise eligible individuals 
or organizations and led by an otherwise eligible individual or 
organization.
    The eligibility requirements can be found on the official challenge 
site: www.nasa.gov/wattson.

III. Rules

    The complete rules for the Watts on the Moon Challenge, can be 
found at: https://www.herox.com/WattsOnTheMoon/Guidelines.

Cheryl Parker,
NASA Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-21138 Filed 9-24-20; 8:45 am]
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