Centennial Challenges Watts on the Moon Challenge Phase 2, 10827 [2022-04010]

Agencies

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 38 (Friday, February 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 10827]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04010]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice: 22-014]


Centennial Challenges Watts on the Moon Challenge Phase 2

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of Centennial Challenges Watts on the Moon Challenge 
Phase 2.

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SUMMARY: Phase 2 of the Watts on the Moon Challenge is open, and teams 
that wish to compete may now register. NASA seeks to stimulate research 
and technology solutions to support future missions and inspire new 
national aerospace capabilities through public prize competitions 
called Centennial Challenges. The Watts on the Moon Challenge is one 
such competition. Centennial Challenges are managed at NASA's Marshall 
Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and are part of the Prizes, 
Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program within NASA's Space Technology 
Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. Phase 2 
of the Watts on the Moon Challenge seeks to attract innovative 
engineering approaches to integrating power transmission and energy 
storage in order to enable missions operating in the extreme cold 
vacuum of the lunar surface. Phase 2 of the Watts on the Moon Challenge 
is a prize competition with a total prize purse of $4,500,000 USD, 
(four and a half million United States dollars) to be awarded to 
competitor teams that build and successfully demonstrate prototypes of 
novel technologies. Successful demonstrations from this challenge will 
complement ongoing NASA investments in lunar surface power generation. 
NASA is funding the prize purse and administration of the challenge 
competition. Any eligible individual or organization may participate in 
Phase 2. teams are not required to have participated in Phase 1.

DATES: Phase 2 registration opens February 23, 2022, and will remain 
open until June 15, 2022. No further requests for registration will be 
accepted after this date. Other important dates, including deadlines 
for key deliverables from the teams, are listed on the Challenge 
website: www.nasa.gov/wattson.

ADDRESSES: Phase 2 of the Watts on the Moon Challenge will be conducted 
virtually, with competitor teams developing and submitting their 
concept proposals and building their prototypes from their own 
locations. Eligible finalist will test their solutions at a NASA 
facility as described in the Official Rules document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions and comments regarding the 
challenge should be addressed to Denise Morris, Centennial Challenges 
Deputy Program Manager, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, 
AL 35812. Phone number 256-544-3989 and Email address: [email protected]. For general information on NASA 
prize competitions, challenges, and crowdsourcing opportunities, please 
visit: www.nasa.gov/solve.
    To register or for additional information regarding the Watts on 
the Moon Challenge, please visit: www.nasa.gov/wattson.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For Watts on the Moon Phase 2, NASA is 
seeking solutions that:

    1. Draw power from an intermittent NASA power source and deliver 
power to a continuous NASA load bank;
    2. Operate in simulated lunar temperatures and vacuum;
    3. Operate continuously without any additional power generation;
    4. Demonstrate a capability to deliver power over a distance of 
3 km; and
    5. Optimize total system mass and total system efficiency.

I. Prize Amounts

    The Watts on the Moon Challenge Phase 2 total prize purse is 
$4,500,000 USD (four and a half million United States dollars) to be 
awarded across Phase 2 of this competition. There will be three (3) 
competition levels in Phase 2, with a prize award after each of the 
three (3) levels. The winners will be determined by a Judging Panel.
     Level 1--Up to seven (7) winning teams with a total prize 
purse of $1,400,000.
     Level 2--Up to four (4) winning teams with a total prize 
purse of 1,600,000.
     Level 3--Up to two (2) winning teams with a total prize 
purse of $1,500,000.
    Teams must meet the eligibility requirements for the NASA prize in 
order to receive a prize from NASA.

II. Eligibility To Participate and Win Prize Money

    To be eligible to win a prize, competitors must register and comply 
with all requirements in the Official Rules. Eligibility requirements 
include:
     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.
    Interested teams should refer to the official Challenge website 
(www.nasa.gov/wattson) for full details on eligibility requirements and 
registration.

III. Official Rules

    The complete official 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. 2022-04010 Filed 2-23-22; 8:45 am]
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