NASA Selects 16 Phase 2 Milestone Winners in LunaRecycle Challenge

NASA has selected 16 teams from 11 U.S. states as Phase 2 Milestone Round winners in the agency’s LunaRecycle Challenge. The competition advances innovative recycling technologies for future space missions.

Ten teams earned $50,000 each as Prototype Milestone winners for developing physical systems to process and recycle non-metabolic mission waste. Six teams earned $25,000 each as Digital Twin Milestone winners for creating high-fidelity virtual models simulating recycling systems under lunar conditions. Of the finalists, four teams won in both categories, receiving a combined $75,000.

Over the next six months, teams will refine their prototypes and digital twins in preparation for the final demonstration event. Participants will also attend informational webinars and take part in one-on-one office hours with stakeholders and subject matter experts from NASA, The University of Alabama and Veolia.

The final demonstration event will take place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in August 2026 at McAbee, a local industry partner of the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering. Due to safety considerations, team demonstrations will be conducted privately.

A public Industry Day and winners’ announcement will follow at H.M. Comer Hall at The University of Alabama.

Prototype Milestone Winners ($50,000 each):

• ACME Space LLC (Cheyenne, Wyo.) developed LunaForm 3000, which compresses and thermally melts ZOTEK F30 foam into dense building tiles for lightweight structural panels and lunar habitats.
• CERBERUZ (Cambridge, Mass.) created a composite-focused recycling system that grinds mixed logistics waste into uniform feedstock and remanufactures it into durable parts using hybrid injection molding and filament extrusion.
• Cislune (Rosemead, Calif.) developed CRAFTER, which converts mixed mission waste into carbon, metal and construction materials through pyrolysis and regolith processing.
• Lunar Nanomand (Corvallis, Ore.) designed a modular recycling system that converts mixed plastic and aluminum waste into filaments, molded parts, nanocarbon-enhanced composites and cast aluminum wire.
• Moon Made (Boulder, Colo.) created Fiber Forge, a system that converts thermoplastic waste into customizable nonwoven textiles for items such as bags, towels and mission equipment.
• PRIME (Houston, Texas) developed an Intelligent Localized ThermoForming Machine that reshapes foam materials into mission-ready components while preserving their structural properties.
• Reclaim (University Park, Pa.) built a microwave-powered system that converts metal and plastic waste into cast metal parts, fuel precursors and other useful byproducts.
• RE:3D Inc. (Austin, Texas) created LunaBotXS, an automated system that converts discarded polymer films into usable 3D-printed parts by shredding and directly printing recycled material.
• SelenoCycle Innovations (San Diego, Calif.) developed a recycling system that converts Nomex materials into reinforced nylon filament for durable 3D-printed components.
• Waste Parrot (New York, N.Y.) designed Lunar Loop, a modular recycling system that uses robotics, AI sensing and additive manufacturing to transform mission waste into usable materials.

Digital Twin Milestone Winners ($25,000 each):

• ACME Space LLC (Cheyenne, Wyo.) created a digital twin supporting its LunaForm recycling system for processing foam materials into structural tiles.
• CERBERUZ (Cambridge, Mass.) developed a digital model simulating its composite recycling process for converting mixed logistics waste into functional components.
• Cislune (Rosemead, Calif.) built a digital twin of its CRAFTER system to model the conversion of waste into carbon and construction materials.
• LoveGrove (Greenville, S.C.) designed LunaBrik, which combines recycled materials with lunar regolith to produce strong, stackable construction bricks.
• Moon Made (Boulder, Colo.) developed a digital twin supporting its Fiber Forge textile recycling system.
• Terasynth (Orlando, Fla.) created the Lunar Re-Forge System, an autonomous recycling concept that converts mixed waste into high-grade 3D-printing filament and recovered metals.

Additional Teams Invited to Compete in the Final Demonstration Event:

• KLAW Industries (Binghamton, N.Y.) developed RegoWeaver, which converts mixed mission waste into reinforcing fibers used in regolith-based construction materials.
• Lunarc (Prescott, Ariz.) strengthens lunar concrete by converting recycled cotton and plastic waste into reinforcing fibers and binders.
• Phoenix Loom (Fishkill, N.Y.) created an automated system that recycles cotton textiles into new woven fabrics designed for low-gravity environments.
• Space Copy (Agoura Hills, Calif.) developed AERIS-R, an extrusion-based system that converts foam waste and lunar regolith into structural components.

LunaRecycle, a NASA Centennial Challenge launched in September 2024, crowdsources solutions for recycling non-metabolic materials on space exploration missions. The competition focuses on the design, development and demonstration of technologies that reduce trash accumulation during extended missions to the moon, Mars and beyond. As previously announced in “NASA Announces Phase 1 Winners in LunaRecycle Challenge,” the competition has continued to build momentum, drawing innovators from across the country to tackle one of space exploration’s most pressing sustainability challenges.

UA serves as the allied organization for the LunaRecycle Challenge, supporting planning and execution through outreach, coordination and academic engagement. NASA manages the challenge in partnership with the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering, with coordination from former Centennial Challenge winner AI SpaceFactory and environmental sustainability company Veolia.