NASA Opens Second Phase of $5 Million Lunar Power Prize Competition
upstart writes:
NASA Opens Second Phase of $5 Million Lunar Power Prize Competition:
Under Artemis, NASA plans to return to the Moon using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. This will require lunar surface systems that can deliver continuous, reliable power to support mining and construction, research activities, and human habitation.
The newest phase of NASA's Watts on the Moon Challenge offers up to $4.5 million in prizes to design, build, and demonstrate a prototype that addresses technology gaps in power transmission and energy storage. Maximizing system efficiency and minimizing system mass will be an important part of what the challenge participants address in their designs, given that transporting all the needed equipment to sustain human presence on the lunar surface will require multiple missions. This challenge seeks advanced technology that is well-positioned to progress toward flight readiness and future operation on the lunar surface after the challenge.
[...] Phase 1 of Watts on the Moon opened in September 2020 and focused on the ideation of energy management, distribution, and storage solutions. In May 2021, seven winners were awarded a total of $500,000. To compete in Phase 1, teams had to submit ideas to support aspects of a hypothetical mission scenario - harvesting water and oxygen from a dark crater at the Moon's South Pole with energy generated by a power plant located on the crater's outer rim.
NASA invites previous participants as well as new teams to compete in Phase 2. For more information about the challenge, go to https://nasa.gov/wattson
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