Lunar Robots: NASA Spotlights Moon Base at 2026 FIRST Robotics Competition

Robotics will play a critical role in NASA’s ambitious plan to establish a long-term presence on the Moon, providing opportunities for the next generation of engineers, technologists and innovators to contribute to a bold vision of the future.

That was the agency’s message to students, partners and industry leaders at the 2026 FIRST Robotics World Championship in Houston, where more than 1,000 student teams came together for exciting competitions and hands-on experiences.

NASA directly connected with the future workforce at the event, engaging more than 51,000 students, parents and mentors through interactive exhibits and discussions. The agency highlighted its plans to build a permanent lunar outpost – Moon Base – which will serve as a hub for lunar exploration, scientific research and technology demonstration, laying the foundation for future missions to Mars and beyond. Phase 1 of NASA’s Moon Base plan focuses on a rapid series of robotic and uncrewed missions to scout, experiment and prepare for surface operations ahead of crewed Artemis missions. This includes an accelerated cadence of Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) flights, with up to 30 robotic Moon landings planned for 2027, to accelerate the delivery of science and technology payloads, including rovers, hoppers and drones.

A model of a lunar base was the focus of the NASA exhibit. Other exhibitions highlighted key innovations such as:

• Mission Adaptive Automated and Reconfigurable Digital Assembly Systems: A modular construction system of small robots and intelligent algorithms that can autonomously assemble large-scale infrastructure in space, such as solar energy, communications and habitat systems. This system could reduce reliance on launching fully assembled hardware from Earth, thereby promoting sustainable exploration of deep space.
• Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration: A trio of small lunar rovers designed to explore together autonomously, collecting data that would be impossible for a single robot to collect. Their success could pave the way for multi-robot missions that could help inform future science goals, navigate hazardous terrain, and support astronaut activities.
• Skyfall Mars Helicopters: Building on the success of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter, which made 72 historic flights to Jezero Crater on Mars, SkyFall helicopters would also serve as aerial scouts for scientists and mission planners, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

Several NASA centers participated in the event, including the Johnson Space Center in Houston; the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; Langley Research Center in Virginia; Ames Research Center in California; Michoud assembly facility in New Orleans; Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California; Glenn Research Center in Cleveland; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. Each brought unique technologies and expertise to the exhibition.

Since 1996, NASA has supported and mentored FIRST Robotics teams across the country. This year, NASA sponsored more than 160 FIRST Robotics teams, 50 of which also had a NASA mentor. NASA Johnson directly mentored six teams, two of which reached the FIRST Championship. Additionally, NASA supported the FIRST Championship with a mobile machine shop where teams could bring in broken parts and have NASA machinists help them make repairs. The workshop completed more than 600 jobs for teams during the event.

NASA’s presence at the championship not only provides a platform to share its ambitious projects, but also inspires students to see themselves as part of the NASA team, working to achieve the impossible.