An innovative concept from Honeybee Robotics, now part of Blue Origin, aims to support NASA's Artemis mission by solving multiple challenges with a single piece of infrastructure.
The Lunar Utility Navigation with Advanced Remote Sensing and Autonomous Beaming for Energy Redistribution, or LUNARSABER, is a 100-meter-tall lunar tower designed to provide power, light, and communication for lunar missions.
Multifunctional Capabilities of the Lunar Tower
The lunar tower is designed to serve as a central hub for power, communications, and lighting on the Moon. It could support the Artemis base and form part of a mesh network with other points of interest on the lunar surface. The tower is equipped with solar panels that can generate up to 100 kW of power.
There are two deployment methods for these panels: one that envelops the tower's metallic structure and another that deploys booms holding traditional solar panels to track the Sun's movement.
This design ensures that the tower can efficiently capture solar energy from multiple angles, maximizing its power generation capability. The tower’s height also allows it to stay illuminated by the sun for longer periods, even at the poles where sunlight is sparse, ensuring a consistent energy supply.
Engineering the Tower: The DIABLO System
Building a 100-meter-tall lunar tower on the Moon poses significant challenges, but Honeybee Robotics has leveraged existing technology to address them. The Deployable Interlocking Actuated Bands for Linear Operations (DIABLO) system uses a rolled piece of metal that bends into a deployable cylindrical structure capable of supporting heavy payloads.
This structure serves as the base for the lunar tower, enabling the tower to stand tall and stable on the lunar surface. The DIABLO system's modular nature allows it to be compactly stored during transport and then deployed to its full height once on the Moon. This innovative approach bypasses the logistical challenges of transporting large structures through space, making the deployment of significant infrastructure feasible with current rocket technology.
Power Beaming and Asset Tracking
The lunar tower can beam power to other devices and track them using a series of sensors. This capability is crucial for providing power to assets such as rovers and astronauts' spacesuits, especially in areas that remain in shadow. Power beaming technology, recently tested successfully by Caltech and the US Naval Research Laboratory, allows the tower to transmit power over vast distances.
The tower uses microwave or laser-based systems to send energy to receiving units on rovers or other equipment. This method of power transfer eliminates the need for cumbersome and potentially unreliable physical power cables. Moreover, the lunar tower's ability to track devices ensures efficient energy delivery, optimizing power distribution across various lunar operations.
Communication and Illumination
The lunar tower also functions as a lunar cell phone tower, enabling wireless communication between various assets on the Moon. This capability allows different rovers and astronauts to coordinate their activities effectively.
The tower creates a local network that facilitates seamless data transfer and communication, essential for synchronizing complex tasks and ensuring mission safety. Additionally, the lunar tower is equipped with floodlights that provide visible light, allowing operations to continue during the two-week lunar night.
These lights are strategically placed to illuminate critical areas, enhancing visibility and safety for astronauts and automated systems alike. The consistent illumination also aids in scientific observations and experiments, which would otherwise be hampered by the long periods of darkness.
Creating a Mesh Network on the Moon
By deploying multiple lunar towers in a line-of-sight mesh, engineers can ensure constant solar power and communication across the lunar surface. This network would enable continuous power transmission and communication with Earth, even for missions on the far side of the Moon.
Strategic placement of the towers would ensure that at least one is always in sunlight, facilitating uninterrupted power supply to the Artemis base.
This approach effectively creates a lunar grid, where power and data can be relayed from one tower to another, overcoming the geographical limitations of the Moon’s terrain. Such a network would be critical for long-term lunar habitation, supporting various mission scenarios and providing a robust infrastructure for future exploration.
The Swiss Army Knife of Lunar Exploration
Vishnu Sangiepalli, the principal investigator on the LUNARSABER project, described it as a "Swiss Army Knife" for lunar exploration due to its versatility and multifunctionality. The lunar tower's ability to solve multiple problems with a single infrastructure piece makes it a valuable asset for future lunar missions.
Its modular and scalable design means it can be adapted for various mission needs, from supporting a small outpost to enabling large-scale lunar bases.
The lunar tower’s multifunctionality reduces the need for multiple specialized units, thereby simplifying logistics and maintenance. This adaptability ensures that the infrastructure can evolve with the mission’s requirements, making it a cornerstone of sustained lunar exploration efforts.
Implications for Future Research
The lunar tower represents a significant advancement in lunar infrastructure, offering a comprehensive solution to the challenges of power, communication, and illumination on the Moon.
This innovative technology has the potential to enhance the sustainability and efficiency of NASA's Artemis missions, paving the way for a permanent human presence on the lunar surface.
With its ability to address multiple operational needs, the lunar tower is poised to become a critical component of future lunar exploration, supporting the ambitious goals of returning humans to the Moon and establishing a foothold for further space exploration.
The lunar tower concept by Honeybee Robotics presents a multifaceted solution to the various challenges of lunar exploration. By integrating power generation, communication, and illumination capabilities, this infrastructure is set to play a pivotal role in ensuring the success and sustainability of NASA's Artemis missions and beyond.
As technology advances and further research is conducted, the deployment of such lunar towers will likely become a standard practice, supporting the long-term human presence on the Moon and facilitating future missions deeper into space.