American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and Astrobotic Technology, Inc. have entered into a joint development agreement to develop an integrated power solution for lunar surface missions.
The two companies will conduct a joint feasibility study that explores how Astrobotic’s Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) and LunaGrid service can be paired with Honda’s regenerative fuel cell (RFC) system to provide continuous power for lunar exploration, even during periods of darkness on the moon.
Astrobotic’s LunaGrid is a power infrastructure service designed to provide sustained lunar surface power. It features the solar-powered Astrobotic VSAT, a self-leveling system capable of sun tracking. The company is developing both a 10 kW VSAT system and an Extra-Large Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT-XL) capable of generating 50 kW.
The study will pair Astrobotic’s technology with Honda’s RFC system, which provides oxygen, hydrogen and electricity using solar energy and water. The energy storage system stores solar power as hydrogen during the lunar day and converts it into electricity during the lunar night. The fuel cell’s only byproduct after generating electricity is water, which is recycled into the system’s high-pressure water electrolysis system to create a closed-loop energy cycle.
As part of the feasibility study, the two companies will simulate one-year solar illumination profiles at various lunar South Pole sites using both the Astrobotic 10 kW and 50 kW VSAT systems.
The results will help determine how much sunlight the VSAT solar panels receive on the lunar surface to power the water electrolysis during the day, enabling the RFC system to convert the stored hydrogen into electricity throughout the night. These findings will be used by Honda to help size its regenerative fuel cell system so that it meets the energy storage needs of various lunar mission scenarios.
The study will also evaluate the scalability of the Honda RFC system for LunaGrid’s use and assess hardware and software integration with the Honda RFC and Astrobotic VSAT to define RFC system requirements necessary for reliable operation.
According to a statement from Honda, integrating the technologies could significantly extend power availability beyond the lunar night, helping to expand mission capabilities, support a sustained human presence on the moon, advance lunar surface infrastructure development and power future commercial industries.
Bobby Rolley, Astrobotic’s Lunar Power Systems Architect, said the company’s LunaGrid can extend mission durations from days to years, in turn boosting mission performance and data return per dollar invested. “Our collaboration with Honda is a major move in this vision, as their scalable energy storage technology will enhance both LunaGrid and our VSAT, expanding our overall power generation and storage capabilities,” Rolley added.
In April, American defense and aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin announced it was developing VSAT for deployment on the Moon.
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