The versions currently posted are the latest versions of the guidebooks currently available. When either the UCF or NASA guidebooks are updated, a notification will be sent out to all teams.

Any questions that teams have related to the 2026 Lunabotics Challenge should be sent by the student team lead or faculty advisor to: lunabotics@ucf.edu. Questions regarding rules should be formatted as described in the NASA Guidebook.

All deliverables for the 2026 Lunabotics Challenge must be sent to lunabotics@ucf.edu, with a copy to ksc-lunabotics@mail.nasa.gov. Please note that this is a deviation from what is in the NASA Guidebook.

The format and file naming requirements for deliverables are specified in the beginning of “Section 3: Deliverables and Rubrics” in the NASA 2025-2026 Lunabotics Guidebook. Please note that deliverables that do not follow these requirements will not be accepted.

The due dates for all deliverables are listed in the beginning of “Section 3: Deliverables and Rubrics” in the NASA 2025-2026 Lunabotics Guidebook. All deliverables are due by 5:00 PM ET on the due date. Late deliverables will not be accepted. The deadline for the STEM Industry Plan has been extended to March 12, 2026 by 5:00 pm ET

A single photo chosen by the team is all that is required.

A NASA Media Release Form is required to be submitted for any team member (student or advisor) who is included in the submitted team photo. A NASA Media Release Form is also required for any team member not included in the team photo that will be attending the UCF and/or KSC on-site events in person.

A UCF Media Release Form will be required for any team member (student or advisor) who will be attending the UCF on-site event in person. A request for the forms will be sent to teams prior to the UCF event.

Yes, the rubric was sent to all teams on Feb 20, 2025.

Yes, a cover page will be allowed and will not count against the 1-page limit.

There is a 1-page limit for the STEM Industry Plan (not counting the cover page). All content must be limited to a single page.

The “original” schedule in the Systems Engineering Paper can be in a different format from what was submitted in the PMP as long as the dates and milestones are the same as the schedule submitted in the PMP.

Teams don’t get points deducted simply for having cameras on their robot, but they do factor into the wifi bandwidth usage which can affect the score.

The bandwidth usage measured is for all communication with the robot (including any cameras on the robot itself)

Teams do lose points for use of the arena cameras, so there is a penalty associated with it. However, that penalty is part of the overall bandwidth calculation for the team as specified in the NASA Guidebook.

No – The intent is that the walls and column cannot be used as these are not valid features on the lunar surface.

Yes – Robot Requirements #3:  “Multiple robot systems are allowed but the starting dimensions of the whole system (all the robots) shall comply with the volumetric dimensions given in this rule.” This would also include the mass limitation of 80 kgs.

Yes. Navigation Protocol #6: “The target/beacon may be a passive fiducial, or it may send a signal or light beam or use a laser-based detection system which has not been modified (optics or power). Only Class I or Class II lasers or low-powered lasers (< 5mW) are allowed. Supporting documentation from the laser instrumentation vendor must be provided to the inspection judges for “eye-safe” lasers.”  The video signal from a camera is a signal. Mass will be counted towards the 80kg maximum per Robot Requirements #6: “The mass of the navigational aid system, including any beacons or targets not attached to the robot, is included in the maximum mining robot mass limit of and must be self-powered.”

The intent of the rule is to not allow the use of the walls since walls will not be relevant in a lunar environment. All teams attempting automation/autonomy need to be prepared to explain how they are not using information from the walls – i.e. from camera images, LIDAR and/or radar returns, etc. One possible solution is to process the raw sensor data and remove data associated with the walls before processing the data with whatever algorithmic approach (e.g., SLAM) is being used.

Section 5 Autonomy Rules #5: “Teams are allowed to interact with an interface that allows different pieces of telemetry data to be viewed as long as there is no real-time or other interaction to control or influence the robot.”  Yes, you can use a VR headset if it is telemetry only and no control takes place.  Note, that at KSC, and possibility UCF, if there is bandwidth associated with the use of the VR it will be appropriately scored in the Bandwidth Use section of the scoring calculator.

No.

When teams add students, a Statement of Rights of Use (consistent with the one submitted with the original application) signed by the new student will need to be submitted. A NASA Media Release will also need to be submitted for the new student if the student will be attending the on-site events. These should be submitted by the Team Lead to lunabotics@ucf.edu.

Nothing is required when teams remove students.

If a team changes its student Team Lead, a notification must be sent to lunabotics@ucf.edu with the name and contact information of the new student Team Lead. Once that is done, the new student Team Lead is responsible for all communication and deliverable submission.

If a team changes its faculty advisor, a notification must be sent to lunabotics@ucf.edu with the name and contact information of the new faculty advisor, along with a new Statement of Support as described in the NASA guidebook. A Statement of Rights of Use (consistent with the one submitted with the original application) signed by the new advisor must also be submitted. Once that is done, the new faculty advisor should begin reviewing and approving all team deliverables.

The NASA Lunabotics logo can be used by teams as long as it is not used for any commercial purposes (e.g., cannot be used on T-shirts that are being sold).

Each of the Top 10 teams who make the finals at KSC will be provided with 11 tickets to the KSC Visitor Center (10 students + 1 advisor). All other teams will be provided with 6 tickets to the KSC Visitor Center. Teams will need to purchase any additional tickets beyond the ones provided. We are currently pursuing a discounted ticket arrangement with the Visitor Center and will notify teams if we are able to obtain one.

Teams will be allowed to have 10 members in the robo pit area in the Center for Space Education at the KSC Visitor Center.

Yes, the 10 team members in the KSC robo pits can be rotated, provided team members have access to the Visitor Center through either a provided or purchased ticket.

The capacity limits for the various locations at UCF (e.g., in the robo pits, at Exolith) are still being determined. All teams will be notified once the final numbers are known.

Per the UCF Guidebook ““Each team must be accompanied by an adult advisor age 21 or older who is employed by the registered institution and will remain on-site for the duration of the challenge.”

The UCF qualifying event will take place May 12-17, 2026.

An agenda covering both the UCF and KSC events was sent to all team leads on 2/16/2026.

A detailed day-by-day schedule for the UCF qualifying event (which teams will compete on which days) cannot be determined until the final list of teams that will be attending is known. The NASA Guidebook includes a detailed day-by-day schedule for the finals event at KSC. However, please note that the dates in that schedule are incorrect and should be May 19-21.