Surviving Lunar Night with Solid State Battery Systems

We propose a novel energy storage strategy for lunar night survival by using solid-state battery (SSB) systems. In comparison to conventional Li ion batteries with liquid electrolytes that freeze at ultralow temperatures, solid electrolytes in SSBs are non-flammable and never freeze even if cooling to extreme cold, thus significantly improve the reliability of energy storage systems without excessive thermal and safety protection systems. Proposed study will focus on cost effective sodium-based systems.

We aim to develop reliable, safe, and high energy solid-state battery systems that may survive and operate through lunar night, for which conventional battery technology with liquid electrolytes is intrinsically limited and unreliable. The successful outcome of this research may revolutionize the power and energy storage systems for continuous lunar surface operations and other missions requiring batteries for extreme environment such as wide temperature swing and vacuum.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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.