Astrobotic & Honda Team Up for Continuous Lunar Power Solution
Astrobotic and Honda have joined forces to develop a continuous power solution for lunar surface missions. The collaboration aims to extend mission durations and support sustained human presence on the Moon.
Astrobotic's Lunar Power Systems Architect, Bobby Rolley, has highlighted the potential of LunaGrid to extend mission durations from days to years. This would significantly boost mission performance and data return per dollar invested.
In April, Lockheed Martin announced it was developing Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) for deployment on the Moon. Astrobotic and Honda will now conduct a joint feasibility study to explore pairing Astrobotic's VSAT and LunaGrid service with Honda's regenerative fuel cell (RFC) system. The study will simulate one-year solar illumination profiles at various lunar South Pole sites using Astrobotic's 10 kW and 50 kW VSAT systems to determine sunlight reception and RFC system sizing.
Honda's RFC system provides oxygen, hydrogen, and electricity using solar energy and water, with a closed-loop energy cycle that recycles water as its only byproduct. The study will also evaluate the scalability of the Honda RFC system for LunaGrid's use and assess hardware and software integration between the Honda RFC and Astrobotic VSAT systems.
The successful integration of these technologies could significantly extend power availability beyond the lunar night, supporting sustained human presence, advancing lunar surface infrastructure, and powering future commercial industries on the Moon.
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