Solid Power with Extreme Environment Adaptability and Resilience in Space (SPEARS)

The purpose of SPEARS is to research and develop technology on solid‑state batteries (SSBs) as a resilient energy storage platform to survive and operate under extreme environments in space. Expanding energy storage operation temperatures from −40 °C to 150 °C is sought to enable a breadth of missions that could include traversing permanently shadowed lunar craters, cryogenic deep‑space transits, the large temperature swings on the Moon and Mars, or high temperature inner‑planet atmospheric probes.  The effort leverages solid-state battery technology developed primarily under the SABERS (Solid State Architecture Battery for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety) project in NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). SABERS demonstrated the feasibility of high specific energy chemistry under all-solid-state conditions in prototype cells and pack architectures with rechargeability and wide temperature adaptability. The SPEARS project will .  SPEARS build upon this prior work to focus on low‑temperature survival and operation and larger scale manufacturability for commercialization aligns with STMD goals by de‑risking transformational energy storage technologies that reduce mass, simplify thermal control, and open new mission classes. This Project will address (1) mission requirements, (2) fundamental material discovery, (3) manufacturability, and (4) commercialization plans. Collectively, the Project addresses the materials science challenges specific to Solid State Batteries (SSBs) that are identified in recent NASA studies, including low‑temperature ionic conductivity, critical interfacial kinetics, rechargeable chemistry, and scalable manufacturing, but with further design parameters targeting specific space missions.  The result will culminate in space worthy solid-state battery designs and module prototypes with identified industry partners. An initial study and pre-formulation effort will be performed to further develop a detailed approach to addressing overall objectives. This study will also identify low temperature equipment availability for fabrication, testing, and scale up feasibility.Materials discovery thrust will synthesize, characterize transport mechanisms, and evaluate performance of novel materials identified as promising low-temperature candidates from the initial study in relevant environments. Cell performance will target an operation temperature range of -40 to 150°C.The manufacturability thrust will identify and develop approaches for laboratory-to-pilot-scale transition for larger formats designed around industry standards and interoperability.

​Expanding energy storage operation temperatures from −40 °C to 150 °C enables a breadth of missions that could include traversing permanently shadowed lunar craters, cryogenic deep‑space transits, the large temperature swings on the Moon and Mars, or high temperature inner‑planet atmospheric probes.Provides a resilient energy storage platform to survive and operate under extreme environments in space.The effort leverages solid-state battery technology developed primarily under the SABERS (Solid State Architecture Battery for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety) project in NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD).Builds upon prior work to focus on low‑temperature survival and operation and larger scale manufacturability for commercialization, and aligns with STMD goals by de‑risking transformational energy storage technologies that reduce mass, simplify thermal control, and open new mission classes.​​Identifies mission requirements to advance the Sold State Battery technology and best infusion pathway for supporting Lunar surface exploration and science.  It also identifies a path for manufacturability and potential technology transfer.​

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