← Back to NASA Technology Projects
Active TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Solar-powered systems for lunar missions must tolerate and operate in the extreme cold of the lunar night. To ensure efficient and reliable energy conversion and control, power regulators and breakers are crucial, and their survivability at cryogenic temperatures is essential. At the heart of the power regulator and circuit breaker reside power semiconductors and corresponding power electronics technology. The fundamental research goal of the project is to holistically characterize and model target wide bandgap gallium nitride (GaN) transistors in a wide temperature range; and to develop power regulation and solid-state protection techniques empowered by such cryogenic devices in lightweight, fault-tolerant solar-powered systems for lunar missions.
Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.
This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — 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.
None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.