The Future Projects & Exploration Team, Avionics Team and Robotics Mechanisms & Structures Team at Space Applications Services lead an industrial consortium developing a design for a cutting-edge lunar power station.
As interest in lunar exploration and the potential for a sustainable lunar economy grows, the project seeks to create a European power solution to support future missions to the Moon. The ECSM will supply electrical power to various elements involved in international human lunar exploration missions.
A wide variety of applications and users are considered in this study, including scientific laboratories and systems requiring short duration peak power delivery. One use case is a potential In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) Pilot Plant, for which Space Applications Services leverages work done with ESA over the last five years building ISRU demonstrators on Earth and designing future ISRU systems.
The study applies a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach, which entails developing preliminary engineering requirements, exploring design solutions, creating an initial design for the Charging Station and identifying baseline designs for specific scenarios. Subsequent steps include exploring commercial opportunities as well as the roles of ESA and the public-private sector.
The importance of the ECSM project extends beyond merely supporting lunar exploration. A sustainable lunar economy relies on readily available energy resources. The ECSM will be a critical component in establishing a future lunar grid, and enabling the growth of lunar industries and scientific endeavours – leveraging ESA’s future EL3 Argonaut Lunar Lander.
By providing reliable and sustainable power solutions, the European Charging Station for the Moon is poised to become an essential cornerstone of international lunar exploration and the development of a thriving lunar economy.
Read more on our work for In-Situ Resource Utilisation:
www.spaceapplications.com/products/in-situ-resource-utilisation-alchemist
For further information:
diego.urbina@spaceapplications.com
News/SpaceApps/Communications & Media/Ruth Chatukuta
