Collaboration opportunities
Work with Cislune on lunar surface systems
Cislune collaborates with NASA programs, other US agencies, prime contractors, commercial space teams, universities, and field-test partners on practical lunar infrastructure problems.
Best fit
Bring a concrete problem, test, or mission need.
Cislune is most useful when a partner needs to reduce risk around excavation, regolith processing, prepared surfaces, landing protection, autonomy, simulation, recycling, logistics, or field demonstrations.
Public pages stay concise. Detailed mechanisms, test data, proposal specifics, and SBIR Rights material can move under the right protected handling when a collaboration is real.
Collaboration clusters
Where Cislune can help
- ISRU and excavation: Tested PERDEX hardware and volatile-preservation work.
- Excavation architectures: Bucket drums, RE-RASSOR-style concepts, and robotic excavation systems.
- Regolith feedstocks: CISORT, beneficiation, sorting, and material preparation.
- Surface infrastructure: GRASP, SHEARPREP, roads, berms, pads, and trafficability.
- Construction materials: Geopolymer, CLSM production, pads, roads, and civil works analogs.
- Landing protection: FLUFSCAN, plume-surface interaction, sensing, and surface protection.
- Simulation and autonomy: SimMoon, TRUST, CITA, digital twins, and mission rehearsal.
- Field logistics: Lucerne Valley analog testing, camper-supported operations, LunaRecycle, and BrightDrop-supported prototype transport.
Collaboration evidence
Visible capability makes the first conversation easier
First conversation
A useful collaboration discussion answers four questions.
What needs to work?
Mission, demonstration, integration, test, production, logistics, or operations support.
Who is involved?
NASA program, other agency, prime contractor, commercial company, university, or test partner.
What proves value next?
Define the next field test, simulation, hardware build, or integration milestone.
What is the path?
Partnership, subcontract, technical interchange, test campaign, customer-funded work, or agency transition path.
What stays protected?
Public website content stays high-level; detailed data can move under NDA or SBIR Rights-aware handling.
Who should talk?
Start with Erik Franks at erik@cislune.com.
Collaboration examples
Cislune is already working beyond its own lab.
Honeybee Robotics
Cislune has worked with Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company, on PERDEX ice-mining excavation work, connecting Cislune’s volatile-aware excavation portfolio with experienced planetary robotics capability.
Lockheed Martin commercial work
Cislune is supporting Lockheed Martin on commercial lunar infrastructure work involving regolith-based surface systems. Public details are intentionally limited, but the project shows Cislune’s capabilities are moving into customer-funded commercial work.
Break the Ice field proof
Cislune’s NASA Break the Ice Lunar Challenge work remains useful background for excavation, autonomy, field operations, and resource-handling conversations.
Open collaboration
The right starting point can be a test article, simulation need, field campaign, construction-material question, ISRU interface, logistics problem, or early technical exchange.
For NASA and agencies
Phase III can be part of the conversation when it fits.
Cislune’s NASA SBIR/STTR work can support Phase III discussions when a real government requirement maps to technology that derives from prior awarded work. It should be treated as one useful contracting path, not the main reason to talk.
Discuss agency transition