Description: The Payload Universal Multi-purpose Adapter or "PUMA" is an interface for in-space and surface science instrument servicing, assembly, upgrading & swapping. The PUMA-Surface Science Configuration (PUMA-SSC) provides dust-compliant (utilizing both dust protection strategies and dust tolerant materials) mechanical, electrical, and data interfaces for the lunar surface. Dust compliant means the interfaces must operate in a dusty surface environment and should be designed to function with contamination present at all stages of operation. The PUMA-In-Space Configuration (PUMA-ISC) provides mechanical, electrical, and thermal/fluids interfaces for in-space use. Both PUMA variants are intendent to provide lower mass and volume options for payload developers whether they be operating on the lunar surface or in-space. PUMA takes inspiration from Aegis Aerospace's Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) platform, which has 6 years of flight heritage. Aegis Aerospace will use SBIR funding and other NASA resources such as Flight Opportunities to raise the technology readiness level (TRL) of PUMA to a 9 through in-situ technology demonstrations. Target markets include commercial, government, and academic customers looking to operate instruments in-space or on the lunar surface. Aegis Aerospace has substantial experience in serving the testing and instrumentation markets through operating the MISSE platform and through the company's two lunar surface test beds that are slated for launch on CLPS landers: the Regolith Adherence Characterization-1 (RAC-1) and the Space Science & Technology Evaluation Facility-1 (SSTEF-1).

Benefits: NASA's Artemis program seeks to establish a permanent, sustainable human presence on the moon. Science experiments and technology demonstrations are an important part of achieving this goal given the significant unknowns about the lunar environment. PUMA-SSC supports modular experiments while adding a minimum of mass and bulk to the supporting platform. This is useful for existing NASA SMD programs such as the PRISM program that have strict mass, size, and cost limitations. For in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM), PUMA-ISC removes the need for human intervention in servicing missions. With a robotically compatible interface, modular experiments can be swapped out or upgraded on any orbital platform. This improves the science yield of experiments with a much lower cost impact compared to launching an entirely new platform with hosted hardware. Aegis Aerospace has over 30 years of heritage in developing spaceflight hardware and providing mission integrations and operations (MI&O) services to commercial, government, and academic customers and as such is well positioned to bring PUMA to market. Aegis Aerospace envisions providing PUMA-SSC to Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) and Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) providers for ease of hosting/upgrading payloads. For in-space use, Aegis Aerospace has already entered into dialogue with the various Commercial Destination Free Flyers (CDFF) providers to get Aegis Aerospace test beds incorporated into those future platforms. PUMA-ISC would be part of that apparatus in order to incentive in-space instrument use by driving down mass and cost.