Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT)

NASA is planning a lunar landing near the moon's South Pole in the 2028 time period, this mission is to be followed by the establishment of a lunar base early in the 2030's. The recent VSAT project developed prototype VSAT systems composed of autonomously deployable vertical arrays on masts of up to 20m in length in order to capture near continuous sun light at the lunar south pole. This is necessary as the low sun grazing angle requires elevated arrays if the intent is to generate power for year-round operations. The 10kW Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) study follows on the heels of the VSAT project and is focused on the development of a strategy to conduct a flight mission Technical Demonstration on the Lunar surface in the early 2030's. The major focus of the effort will be on identifying the appropriate set of mission requirements. This will be done though a literature search and evaluation of the multiple trade studies and architecture efforts that have been conducted in recent years in preparation for the return to the moon. The team will cull these documents and make a recommended set of baseline requirements that a Technical Demonstration should fulfil. After the team has a good understanding of the mission requirements a cost estimate will be prepared that will encompass both the solar array payload and the lander required to place the demonstration on the lunar surface. Finally, the team will evaluate strategies to engage industry in the conduct of the demonstration. The 10KW VSAT Study goals are:Develop a Design Reference Mission for a VSAT Technical DemonstrationPrepare a cost estimate for such a missionPropose an Acquisition Strategy to achieve the Technical Demonstration

NASA’s near-term vision for space exploration revolves around the creation of a base at the South Pole of the Moon. Once constructed, this base will function as a lunar research center and, in a somewhat longer time frame, as a fuel depot and intermediate logistics hub for missions to Mars. Mission architects believe that a critical technology for developing this lunar base is power generation; without power generation future NASA visits to the Moon’s surface will be very short in duration and likely lack true scientific value. The value of deploying the solar array vertically, the main thrust of this project, is the reduction in time when the solar array fails to be illuminated by the sun. The project has determined that the requirement to place the array 10m off of the surface is very beneficial to this goal of continuous illumination and reduces periods of darkness experienced by the array significantly. In addition to the development of power generation capabilities, autonomous assembly and deployments can aid mission planning by ensuring critical infrastructure is operational prior to human arrival.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 6) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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