Deployable Rotor Energy Storage

The goal of this Center Innovation activity was to assess the feasibility of providing long term, robust energy storage capability for planetary exploration missions using flywheel energy storage systems (FESS) that obtained the rotor mass from in-situ resources. The concept was to only launch the core elements of a FESS without a high mass rotor and then load the rotor with in-situ regolith or other available mass. This would potentially significantly reduce the launch mass necessary to provide inexpensive energy storage capability for the exploration of planetary objects.

The benefit of flying propellant tanks that could be re-purposed for energy storage for missions such as a fuel depot or lunar base would be primarily in the volume reduction of the vehicle. The same volume reserved for the propellants would be used for energy storage once the propellant tanks were emptied.

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.

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