The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has set its eyes on developing a robust lunar economy. However, the question remains – how can the many shareable, scalable commercial systems support a future lunar ecosystem?
To answer this question, DARPA plans to bring together government, industry, academia, and international stakeholders to facilitate technical discussions and develop interoperability standards for commercial lunar infrastructure and related technologies.
The Lunar Guidelines for Infrastructure Consortium (LOGIC) will identify and propose interoperating standards for commercial lunar infrastructure. LOGIC will also encourage the community to develop operational guidelines and pathways to close commercial lunar infrastructure interoperability gaps.
According to DARPA, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory will oversee the consortium to establish a space for an independent, permanent forum to advance collaborative efforts to support the lunar community.
LOGIC is just the latest in DARPA’s lunar exploration efforts. The agency is steadfast in its commitment to invest in a lunar infrastructure because “a robust lunar economy within the next decade is coming quickly into focus,” the agency said in a statement.
In August 2023, DARPA initiated the 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) Capability Study, which aims to rapidly develop foundational technology concepts that move away from individual scientific efforts within isolated, self-sufficient systems toward a series of shareable, scalable systems that interoperate — minimizing lunar footprint and creating monetizable services for future lunar users.
“While other efforts focus on technology development, LOGIC will zero in on how systems work together. We’re looking for maximum participation from the public and private sectors and from international stakeholders,” said Dr. Michael “Orbit” Nayak, program manager in DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office.
In addition, LOGIC will work closely with NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative to develop international, consensus-driven, technical interoperability standards in areas such as power distribution, communications, relative positioning and navigation methods, lunar surface surveying, and cislunar air and space traffic control.
“Regular collaboration within the communities working on lunar technologies is key to an interoperable future that supports a diverse industrial base and facilitates efficient upgrades, maintenance, and repairability for commercial lunar services,” said Nayak.
