Lunar Extreme Water Container (LEWC)

NASA is developing in situ water retrieval technologies to excavate regolith-based water deposits from various regions on the lunar surface, then transport, store, and process them into potable water, propellant, fuel cell reactants, and life support consumables for Artemis missions. Part of this logistics chain is a collapsible water container that can operate in harsh environments such as lunar dust and Permanently Shaded Regions (PSRs) where extreme cold as low as -213°C (-351°F) is encountered. To this end, Moonprint Solutions will develop a Lunar Extreme Water Container (LEWC) that will support the transport of water from production or storage locations to inside pressurized habitable volumes. The LEWC is a multi-layered collapsible assembly that has a packing factor > 100:1, can be deployed in cryogenic conditions without damage, and is freeze tolerant. The LEWC is scalable in size and shape to meet operational constraints such as ergonomic handling while wearing a space suit, minimization of footprint in an airlock, and convenient stowage in vehicles. It will be minimal mass but be robust enough to meet the durability requirements of interfacing with highly abrasive lunar dust and sharp rocks in nominal and off-nominal use (accidental drop, dragging, impact) with a target use life of >500 cycles. The specialized materials used in the LEWC will be able to be flexed at cryogenic temperatures to accommodate deployment of an empty bag that is cold soaked, which is extremely challenging for polymeric materials. The LEWC will also have dust mitigation technologies to limit the transfer of lunar dust into habitable spaces.

The LEWC will support water storage and transfer needs for Artemis exploration and long-term habitation of the lunar surface. Human portable or larger storage containers are possible for water and other molecules, including cryogenic fluids, on the lunar surface. It can also be used as a highly-reliable In-Vehicle storage container on Gateway or ISS, for fluids including water, wastewater, or other fluids. Technology spin-offs include materials for space suits or lunar dust covers for robotics.

The LEWC can be used to support commercial exploration or habitation on the lunar surface, including small volume water or other fluids storage and transport, and larger volume storage of a range of molecules including cryogenic fluids. It also can be used for water or other fluids / gasses on commercial space stations. Technology spin-offs can be used on lunar dust covers for robotics.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — 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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