Energize the Moon
Sometimes it's hard to see the future,
even if it's right in front of our eyes.
Establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon, Mars, and beyond has been the object of fascination and interest since we have records, for tens of thousands of years we have dreamed about it, yet it hasn't happened. The physics and engineering are within reach, it begs the question: why haven't we done it?
Politics, wars, and lack of funding are often the cited reasons, yet even if those issues were resolved, human expansion into space and other celestial bodies would remain a very small niche. No, to truly expand beyond Earth, to commit vast amounts of resources and convince millions of people that this is the future, we need a much simpler but powerful tool: economics.
Space needs to make a profit, better yet, space exploration, colonization, and industrialization need to be irresistible to investors, entrepreneurs, and governments. Multiple companies are working on one of the fundamental limits, launch costs, while others are developing orbital space stations, rovers, satellites, and more.
While launch cost remains the main constraint today, if we look forward to the next set of challenges, energy generation and storage on other celestial bodies will be a key limiting factor.
The next two pages are our shot at making energy as cheap as possible on what seems to be the spear tip of the next wave of space colonization: the Moon.
These two pages are divided into:
- Interactive tools to experiment and simulate solar power systems on the Moon.
- Our not-a-whitepaper and vision for the future.
Part one
Simulate the Future
To evaluate energy on the Moon in a way that's comparable to Earth, we need to adopt the same "cost per watt" perspective used on Earth. Today, most deep space power systems are designed and assessed based on mass, reliability, and generation capacity, rather than cost per unit of energy, which remains extremely high.
Using the proven technologies we have today, we have 2 main contenders for energy generation on the Moon: solar and nuclear.
While our work focuses on solar energy, it represents just one part of the bigger picture. Both solar and nuclear power will experiment a role in shaping the future of energy systems in deep space.
Using current technology, cost data, and available research, we mapped the cost per watt installed as a function of the cost per kilogram delivered to the lunar surface. You will be able to explore the underlying assumptions and dive deeper into estimates.
Based on how much power we need, solar power systems on the Moon will have different approaches, just like on Earth. The system used to generate a few kW is completely different from the system used to generate multiple MWs or even GWs.
For each scale we have an interactive calculator where you can play with options and variables to see how much it would cost, based on the mass and components required.
Choose your scale
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Launched from Earth
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Integrated 20-50kW systems with modules and power electronics included, ready to be deployed and generate power.
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No construction required.
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Power electronics use batteries to survive lunar night.
KW scale can be done at almost any latitude, though higher latitudes present more challenges and costs because of the position of the sun (very low on the horizon).
Launch capabilities
Integrated solar arrays
- •For KW scale, we use integrated solar arrays packed for quick deployment without any construction required.
- •Includes modules and integrated mount structure.
- •Includes power electronics, cooling, heating, and a battery to survive the lunar night and maintain the temperature of the electronics and battery enclosure.
- •Can be deployed using a rover or robot with a forklift attachment and a rated payload of 500kg. (more on the "Robots" section below)
- •Outputs DC energy, no AC conversion included.
- DC-DC converter
- MPPTs
- Switchgear and related
- Onboard computer
- Active cooling and heating for electronics
- Shielding and insulation for electronics
- 35 kWh battery
Standalone batteries
- •Independent battery modules that extend the capabilities of integrated solar arrays.
- •No heavy machinery available for KW scale systems, BESS packs sit on top of the lunar surface.
- •Radiation shielding: composite shell of 2cm aluminum and 5cm HDPE.
- •Thermal insulation: 20cm MLI 5cm silica aerogel blanket.
Robots
- •Complete autonomy is not required, as they can be teleoperated. Depending on latency, semi-autonomy might be required.
- •Intense and dangerous tasks are going to be performed by robots, although human presence will still be required for highly dexterous or complex tasks.
Backhoe- •Forks
- •Rock rake
- •Motor grader
- •Transport platforms
- •Others
Part two