2026 NASA INTERNATIONAL LUNABOTICS CHAMPIONSHIP FAQ
Welcome to the FAQ page for the 2026 NASA International Lunabotics Championship. These FAQs serve as a supplement to the 2026 International Lunabotics Championship guidebook and provide clarification, corrections, or additional information where necessary. In the event of any conflict between the guidebooks and these FAQs, the FAQs take precedence.
Any questions from teams 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. Questions may also be sent to lunabotics@ucf.edu.
Notifications will be sent on Slack when there are updates to the FAQs. However, It is ultimately up to each team to monitor this page for any changes or updates.
LUNABOTICS DOCUMENTATION
GUIDEBOOKS:
Although the guidebook that was shared with teams was marked as a draft, it contained all the information needed for the competition. It is a living document and will be updated as necessary to clarify or correct information. Any updates will be communicated to all teams, and the latest version will always be available at https://fsi.ucf.edu/lunabotics/
Posted 8/21/26
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
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.
Posted 8/21/26
ROBOT DESIGN & TECHNICAL RULES
BANDWITDH/CAMERAS:
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.
Posted 8/21/26
COMMUNICATIONS:
Teams using 2.4 GHz will use Channel 1. Team electing to use 5 GHz may select any valid channel.
Posted 8/21/26
BATTERIES:
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.
Posted 8/21/26
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.
Posted 8/21/26
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
Posted 8/21/26
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.
Posted 8/21/26
EVENT LOGISTICS & ON-SITE PARTICIPATION
ON-SITE CAPACITY LIMITS:
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.
Posted 8/21/26
PHOTOGRAPHY
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.
Posted 8/21/26
TRANSPORTATION OF ROBOTS
Teams are free to choose whatever transportation method works best for them.
Posted 8/21/26
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.
Posted 8/21/26
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.
Posted 8/21/26