Astrobotic Technology Inc. has a plan to power the moon with permanent electricity and it could do so by 2028 at the earliest if all goes according to schedule.
During the 73rd International Astronautical Congress in Paris on Monday, the North Side-based space company announced the launch of its latest product called LunaGrid — an electric generation and distribution service that will aim to offer power by the watt to those that might need it, be it landers, rovers, habitats, science suites and other lunar surface systems. Astrobotic also makes lunar landers and rovers, the former of which is set to make its first lunar debut by the end of this year.
With LunaGrid, Astrobotic is touting the ability to provide electricity to space agencies, companies and nonprofits performing operations on the moon. It'll do so with a combination of systems comprised of Astrobotic's landers, rovers and wireless chargers as well as its Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) — a development the Pittsburgh company is working with NASA on that will allow for mobile solar energy capture.
By working in concert with one another, LunaGrid's various components will allow others to tap into what Astrobotic hopes will be uninterrupted power. The wireless chargers and rovers — tethered to a VSAT system — will act as mobile outlets. Meanwhile, the VSAT systems chase the sun along the moon's southern pole. With such a configuration, Astrobotic envisions its solar-powered system will be able to avoid the lunar night, which lasts for 14 Earth days and has temperatures that plunge hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit below zero.
"Over the last 15 years, we’ve come to appreciate that power on the moon is everything," Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said in a prepared statement. "By leveraging existing technologies already under development at Astrobotic, we can bring a much needed power service to the moon in short order. Solar power is affordable, commercially friendly, technically mature, and deployable now. LunaGrid’s solar-based system offers the world the fastest, most economical means of establishing sustained lunar presence with no policy hurdles."
Deployment and demonstration of LunaGrid could come as early as 2026, Astrobotic said. If successful, the company hopes to deploy it to the moon's south pole by 2028.
