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 (KSC only). Note that the scoring for use of the situational awareness cameras is different at UCF and KSC.

The cost of each situational awareness camera at KSC is 0.5 Mbps.

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 Autonomy Rule #3 is to constrain localization inputs to those that would realistically be available during early lunar missions. Fiducials are allowed only in the starting area, which represents a “lander” capable of deploying such markers from Earth. Natural terrain features (such as craters and rocks) may also be used for localization. Walls, however, are not valid localization references, as they would not exist in a lunar environment. Because walls are required elements of the competition field, teams are expected to be able to perceive them as obstacles and avoid them to prevent collisions. However, information derived from walls (including camera images, LiDAR, radar, or other sensor returns) shall not be used in any form for localization or global pose estimation. All teams attempting automation or autonomy must be prepared to explain how their system avoids using wall information for localization (Autonomy Rule #4). One acceptable approach is to preprocess raw sensor data to remove or ignore features associated with walls before applying localization algorithms (e.g., SLAM or Visual-Inertial Odometry).

Walls may contribute only to obstacle detection and avoidance, not to determining the robot’s position or orientation.

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.

Larger tags are allowed. However, any navigation aid system (including beacons or targets) is treated as part of the robot’s payload allocation. The mass of fiducial markers counts toward the robot’s 80 kg maximum, and they must also fit within the robot’s volume constraints used at inspection.

Beacons and fiducial targets must be completely contained within the starting zone.

Yes, twisting the mushroom button or pulling the button back should not resume robot operation. The wording of E-STOP Rule #6 implies that “twisting the mushroom button and allowing it to spring back up or pulling the button back up” are examples of the second deliberate action, but that is incorrect. They describe the first deliberate action – resetting the E-STOP. Reset of the E-STOP alone should not resume robot operation.

The first deliberate action is a manual reset of the E-stop button. That action alone should not resume robot operation. It should put the robot into a powered state where operation can be resumed by a second deliberate action. The second deliberate action could be something like sending the robot a “Start” signal to resume operation.

Activation of the E-STOP by a judge constitutes an immediate termination of the run. The robot must remain disabled, and no further actions are permitted for that attempt.

Solid-state relays (SSRs) may be used for the E-STOP function provided they meet all requirements of Rule #7. Any SSR implementation must reliably and instantaneously stop robot motion, disconnect battery power from all controllers and active subsystems, and operate in a fail-safe manner. Only high-reliability or safety-rated SSRs capable of handling the full battery voltage and current and designed for fail-safe operation would be acceptable. Compliance is determined by functional performance, not by the type of relay technology used.

Microcontrollers (e.g., ESP32) may be powered independently of the main robot power only if they cannot directly control actuators or enable robot motion. Acceptable functions include tasks such as sensing or localization, provided that these functions cannot cause the robot to move while the E-STOP is active. Any device capable of controlling or enabling motion must be powered by the main robot battery and be disabled when the E-STOP is pressed.

The power logging requirement applies to all energy drawn from the robot’s primary battery system during an attempt. If a computing device is powered from the primary battery system, it must have its power consumption logged. Independently powered computing devices (e.g., laptops or a Raspberry Pi with a small, dedicated battery), as permitted under E-STOP Rule #4, are not subject to power logging. This ensures consistent measurement by clearly defining the electrical boundary of what

is scored, while preserving the safety and functionality provisions of E-STOP Rule #4.

A single COTS power logger measuring the total output is the preferred configuration. However, teams may use two identical COTS power loggers with parallel batteries provided that their implementation fully conforms to all existing power‑logger and E‑STOP requirements, and provides judges with clear, easy‑to‑read energy values at the end of the run.

The rule states “Beacons or fiducial targets may be attached to the designated arena frame area for navigation purposes only. The designated area is anywhere on the bin frame structure along the perimeter of the starting zone (2 sides). Tape, clamps, or rods pushed into the regolith may be used, but screws or other fasteners requiring holes may not be used.” Beacons or fiducial targets can be deployed only in the starting zone. The designated “bin frame structure along the perimeter of the starting zone” consists of two (2) 80/20 aluminum beams (https://8020.net/1515-lite.html) that are each 2m long. The beams are attached flush with the top of the wooden box walls on the perimeter of the arena. See Beacon_fiducial_mounting.pdf for a picture of the starting zone with the 80/20 beams highlighted in yellow. Beacons or fiducial targets can be attached to the 80/20 beams or to rods pushed into the regolith in the starting zone. The ducts along the wall cannot be used for mounting. Please see the UCF Lunabotics Guidebook for details on mounting locations in their arena.

Robots will be allowed to begin excavation in the starting zone. The Artemis Arena Layout diagram correctly shows the Starting Zone as a subset of the Excavation Zone.

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.”

Per the NASA 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.