Surface Power

NASA needs power systems which can survive the lunar night and enable exploration. The over-arching goal of the surface power focus group is to provide specific recommendations to NASA for rapidly achieving appropriate-scale power-related technologies needed to enable sustained presence and exploration. Succinctly, to enable the right power in the right place at the right time.

APL Staff

Contact all staff

James Mastandrea

Interim Power Lead & MOSA WG Lead

Wes Fuhrman

LSII Lead

Jodi Berdis

Focus Group Facilitator

Samantha Andrade

Goals

The Surface Power focus area will develop technologies to supply continuous power throughout day and night for lunar surface missions. This requires the development of technologies like power generation, such as fission surface power, adaptable lunar lander solar array systems, Chemical Heat Integrated Power Source (CHIPS), and Regenerative Fuel Cell (RFC) energy. The group will conduct a phased, system level assessment of power architecture for lunar surface missions. Additional topics for consideration include surface-to-surface power beaming, advanced rover energy storage technology, radioisotope power systems, and power distribution architectures. To work towards this, we will first focus on connecting power experts to their potential user base, framed by the economic and institutional drivers that set the scale of power demand. This will enable us to identify near-term needs for immediate prioritization and long-term goals that impact early architectural decisions.

Recent Accomplishments

  • Held an extended telecon to hear from the Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) winners and identify next steps in lunar solar array technology.
  • Held a Power Beaming Workshop to discuss how the wireless transfer of power on the Moon could be a viable option in regions without direct sunlight and/or for mobile equipment such as rovers.
  • Conducted a Power User Survey to capture the power needs of lunar technologies in development by members of the LSIC community. We are close to releasing the findings and recommendations in the form of a report.

Current Efforts

  • Modularity & Standards of lunar technology, for power systems as well as the more broad LSIC community
  • LSIC Power Roadmap, in the context of technology gaps as defined by NASA
    Subgroup topics identified to work towards STMD priority areas of focus

Surface Power meetings occur on the fourth Thursday of the month at 11:00 AM ET. For meeting information and agendas, please use the LSIC Wiki on Confluence and/or sign-up for the "Surface Power" Listserv.

Surface Power subgroups and their leads are currently under discussion, we'll have more information and content here around the turn of the new year.

July 2023 Telecon

Power System Reliability Workshop

April 2023 Telecon

Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium Spring Meeting

March 2023 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

February 2023 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

January 2023 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

December 2022 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

November 2022 Telecon

LSIC Fall Meeting

November 2022 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

September 2022 Telecon

Surface Power + MOSA - Monthly FG

August 2022 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

July 2022 Telecon

Low Temperature Sub-kW Power and Energy Storage for the Lunar Surface

June 2022 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

May 2022 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

May 2022 Telecon

LSIC Spring Meeting

April 2022 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

April 2022 Telecon

Surface Power Summer Workshop Planning

April 2022 Telecon

MOSA Working Group

March 2022 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

February 2022 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

January 2022 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

December 2021 Telecon

ISRU + SP Joint Meeting

November 2021 Telecon

LSIC Surface Power Monthly FG

November 2021 Telecon

Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium Fall Meeting

September 2021 Telecon

LSIC Surface Power Monthly FG

August 2021 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

July 2021 Telecon

LSIC Power Beaming Workshop

June 2021 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

May 2021 Telecon

Special Joint LSIC SP-EE-DM Meeting on Vertical Solar Array Technology

May 2021 Telecon

Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium Spring Meeting

April 2021 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

March 2021 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

February 2021 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

January 2021 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

November 2020 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

October 2020 Telecon

Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium Virtual Fall Meeting

September 2020 Telecon

Surface Power Monthly FG

July 2020 Telecon

Surface Power - Monthly FG

June 2020 Telecon

Kickoff Surface Power - Monthly FG

February 2020 Telecon

Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium National Kickoff Meeting

LSIC Wiki on Confluence

Open to LSIC members only.

To request access, please contact lsic-wiki-admins@listserv.jhuapl.edu.

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LSIC Listserv

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