NASA Develops Batteries to Power Humanity’s Return to Moon
If you’ve ever had your car start sluggishly, or not at all, on a particularly frigid winter morning, you know standard batteries do not like extreme cold. That’s why NASA researchers are working to develop a battery that could function in the brutal cold of the Moon’s South Pole, where nighttime temperatures plunge to minus […]
NASA researchers are working on a new type of battery called Solid Power for Extreme Environment Adaptability and Resilience in Space (SPEARS) to power future lunar operations on the Moon's South Pole, where temperatures can drop to minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit (-200 degrees Celsius). The batteries, which replace liquid electrolytes in conventional batteries with solid ceramic or polymer materials, can operate in both extreme cold and heat, making them ideal for the Moon's harsh environment.
In thermal vacuum tests, the prototype battery cells performed well in temperatures ranging from 176 degrees Fahrenheit (80 degrees Celsius) to minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit (-60 degrees Celsius), with slightly reduced performance down to minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit (-80 degrees Celsius). These batteries can also survive exposure to the Moon's extreme temperature swings without sustaining damage.
While the batteries would need to be warmed up to operate, they could help reduce the need for heavy thermal management systems in spacecraft and lunar habitats, leading to lighter designs, lower costs, and longer mission durations.
Written by urgent.news from NASA's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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