NASA selects 3 companies to help develop advanced solar array technology for the moon – Satnews

NASA The agency has selected three companies to further advance human and robotic exploration of the Moon. Artemis.

With the Artemis missions, NASA will return humans to the Moon and establish long-term habitation near the Moon’s south pole. A reliable, sustainable power source is needed to support lunar habitats, rovers and construction systems for future robotics and crewed missions. To help provide this power, NASA supports the development of vertical solar arrays that can be autonomously deployed and repositioned as high as 32 feet if necessary.

The agency is awarding a total of $19.4 million to three companies that plan to deploy one of the systems near the Moon’s South Pole by the end of this decade. The designs must be stable on sloping terrain and able to withstand lunar dust, reducing all the mass and accretion to help the system reach the lunar surface. The awards include:

Existing space-grade solar array structures are designed to deploy in microgravity or on horizontal surfaces. The vertical position and height of these new designs help prevent power loss at the lunar poles where the sun does not rise above the horizon. When the sun is below the horizon, the lunar surface can block some of its light, preventing it from reaching the solar turbines low to the ground. By placing solar arrays on tall poles, these designs create more energy because they allow uninterrupted light.

The contracts are part of the agency’s VSAT project, which aims to support NASA’s long-term lunar surface operations. In the year In 2021, NASA selected five companies to create initial designs for permanent solar array technologies. VSAT is led by STMD’s Game Change Development Program and Langley in collaboration with NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

“These examples offer promising solutions for reliable energy sources, which are key to the success of anything we do on the Moon.He said King WerkeiserDirector of Technology Maturity at NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This exciting endeavor will play a vital role in literally helping our search for Artemis in the unique region of the Moon’s south pole.He said.

“We are delighted to have been able to select these three teams as they all offer very different technology solutions as well as unique perspectives on how the commercial space can support a continued presence on the Moon.He said Chuck Taylor, Permanent Solar Array Technology (VSAT) project manager at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.