Any questions that teams have related to the 2026 International Lunabotics Championship should be posted to the #Questions channel on the Slack by the student team lead or faculty advisor to or sent to lunabotics@ucf.edu. For questions regarding the Guidebook, please refer to the specific section that your question is referring to.

The Exolith arena has two situational awareness cameras that are available for teams to use during their competition runs. Teams can earn a maximum of 120 points during each competition run based on camera usage. Teams that don’t use the cameras will have 120 points added to their construction score. Teams that use one camera will have 60 points added to their construction score. Teams that use both cameras will receive 0 points.

Teams using 2.4 GHz will use Channel 1. Team electing to use 5 GHz may select any valid channel.

7.1.1 states “All teams shall use IEEE 802.11 wireless protocol standards for their wireless connection (Wireless Access Point (WAP) router and rover client).”, however it does not mandate a 2.4 GHz network connection. A 900 MHz link using 802.11ah would be allowed. However, please note that any such connection to the robot must originate from the team’s equipment inside the arena. Teams must provide their own Wireless Access Point (WAP) in the arena that connects to the Mission Control Center (MCC) via a provided ethernet cable. Per 7.6.6: “Network connections to the robot are ONLY allowed via the WAP router and the cable going to the MCC. Any backchannel wireless connections via laptop or cellphone to the WAP router or robot during setup or competition are expressly forbidden and will result in disqualification.”

7.6.5 states “…EXOLITH will provide a network switch for the teams to plug in their laptops.”, however this switch is not used for bandwidth monitoring as bandwidth usage will not be measured during the competition. While teams are required to use the network cable that connects from the MCC to the Arena, they are not required to use the provided network switch (a Netgear model GS305 unmanaged 5-port gigabit switch).

It is specifically the 2.4 GHz PHY layer of 802.15.4 that is prohibited. Systems on your robot utilizing the UWB bands would be allowed.

Yes, if you would like to order batteries from a supplier in the United States and ship them to UCF, please have them shipped to the following address:

Exolith Lab

532 S. Econ Circle, Suite 100

Oviedo, FL 32765

Please notify UCF at lunabotics@ucf.edu if you will be doing this and provide tracking information if possible.

The only restrictions are that any battery usage must comply with the safety requirements in the guidebook and fit within the mass and size limitations of the robot.

Yes, custom-built battery packs would be allowed provided they comply with all safety requirements and fit within the mass and size limitations of the robot

The competition organizers cannot provide logistics coordination or specific guidance for battery transport. International teams are responsible for identifying, arranging, and funding legal transport methods that comply with US federal laws and international dangerous goods regulations.

The limitation on the size of fiducial markers is that they must fit within the robot’s payload allocation. Any navigational aid system (including beacons or fiducial targets) is treated as part of the robot’s payload allocation. The mass of navigational aids count toward the robot’s 80 kg maximum, and they must also fit within the robot’s volume constraints given in the guidebook. Any such items must be presented at inspection to be weighed and measured with the robot. In addition, any beacons or fiducial targets must be completely contained within the starting zone during a run. They need to be put in place during the 10-minute setup time prior to a run and must be removed immediately after a run

Teams have been asked to limit themselves to 10 participants (including both students and advisors). That is a hard limit in that it will be enforced in various areas during the competition (e.g., Exolith Lab, opening ceremony, etc.) due to capacity limitations. However, we can make an allowance for teams to bring a single designated media person that will not count against the 10-participant limit.

A designated person from each team will be permitted to take photos and/or video of their team’s robot in the arena. The wording in the guidebook has been updated to reflect this.

Teams are free to choose whatever transportation method works best for them.

Teams shipping their robots to UCF must provide notification to lunabotics@ucf.edu along with any tracking information available. Robots can be shipped to Exolith Lab at the following address:

Exolith Lab

532 S. Econ Circle, Suite 100

Oviedo, FL 32765

The competition organizers (NASA, Caterpillar, UCF) are not responsible for any damage that occurs during shipping.

The competition organizers cannot provide information on customs documentation or import requirements. Each team is responsible for determining any such requirements should they choose to ship their robots to UCF.

Spectators are not allowed in Exolith Lab, where the arena is located, during competition runs. Teams are limited to 10 participants in the lab during their runs (11 if they have a dedicated media person). It is anticipated that we will have a large meeting space adjacent to the robo-pit area on the UCF campus where people will be able to watch the livestream broadcast of the arena.