NASA offers $2.9 million to anyone who solves the recycling problem in space

NASA has launched a new competition, called the LunaRecycle Challenge, which offers $3 million (2.9 million euros) in prizes for innovations in recycling materials left behind in deep space missions.

As NASA continues its efforts to achieve long-duration human spaceflight, including creating a sustained human presence on the Moon through its Artemis missions, the agency needs to process inorganic waste streams such as plastic packaging, discarded clothing and materials. Novel solutions are required from scientific experiments. While previous efforts focused on reducing the mass and volume of waste, the new challenge will prioritize technologies to recycle waste into useful products needed for off-planet science and exploration activities.

NASA’s LunarRecycle Challenge seeks to encourage the design and development of low-impact, low-energy, low-mass recycling solutions that address material waste flows and improve the sustainability of long lunar missions.

With this initiative, NASA aims to reshape the agency’s approach to waste management, support the future of space travel, and revolutionize waste treatment on Earth, leading to greater sustainability for the planet and beyond.

bring lessons learned back to earth

“Continued operations are an important consideration for NASA as we conduct exploration and research both at home and away from Earth,” said Amy Kaminsky, NASA Awards, Challenges and Crowdsourcing Program executive. “With this challenge, we want innovative approaches from the public for waste management on the Moon and bring the lessons learned to Earth for the benefit of all.”

The NASA LunaRecycle Challenge offers two competition modes: a prototype mode and a digital twin mode. The prototyping methodology focuses on the design and development of hardware components and systems to recycle one or more solid waste streams on the lunar surface. The digital twin modality focuses on the design of a virtual replica of an entire system to recycle solid waste streams on the lunar surface and manufacture end products. Offering a digital twin modality lowers the barrier to entry for global solvers to participate in NASA Centennial Challenges and contribute to the agency’s missions and initiatives. You can participate in one or both modalities.

Challenges of the aerospace community

The Lunarcycle Challenge will also address some of the key technical challenges of the aerospace community. In July 2024, NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate published a ranked list of 187 technology areas requiring further development to meet future discovery, science, and other mission requirements. The results integrated input from NASA’s mission directorates and centers, industry organizations, government agencies, academics, and other stakeholders to help guide NASA’s space technology development and investments. This list and subsequent updates will help inform future centenary challenges.

The three technology needs that LunaRecycle will address include logistics tracking, clothing and room waste management; Manufacturing of parts and products in space and on the surface; and manufacturing in space and on the surface from recycled and reused materials.

“I am pleased that NASA’s LunarCycle Challenge will help provide solutions to technology needs in advanced manufacturing and habitats,” said Kim Croome, acting manager of the agency’s Centennial Challenges Program and LunarCycle Challenge manager. “We are very excited to see what solutions our global competitors create and look forward to this challenge that will serve as a catalyst to bring the agency and humanity closer to exploring worlds beyond our own “

Collaboration with University of Alabama

NASA has contracted with the University of Alabama to be the collaborating partner for the duration of the challenge. The university, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will coordinate with former Centennial Challenge winner AI SpaceFactory to facilitate the challenge and manage its competitors.

To register for the NASA LunaReycle Challenge (which involves submitting an idea or proposal), participants must complete the LunaReycle Challenge Interest Form. Proposals sent by email will not be considered. For official challenge questions, interested centers can write to Lunarecycle@ua.edu or hq-stmd-centennialchallenges@mail.nasa.gov.