Robotically Assembled Light Bender (RALB - ACO)

Robotically Assembled Light Bender (RALB - ACO) is a completed Game Changing Development demonstration led by NASA Langley Research Center that developed autonomous robotic assembly of a tandem reflector mirror heliostat for lunar power. Large flat mirrors and Cassegrain optics redirect sunlight up to 5 km into permanently shadowed regions, while a deployable 10 m mast and Maxar robotic arm support assembly on the lunar surface. The project prototype transmitted up to 83% of simulated solar power, advanced the concept from TRL 3 to TRL 4, and informed future lunar infrastructure and in-situ resource utilization.