NASA is testing solid-state batteries designed to survive the Moon’s extreme temperature swings while reducing the thermal hardware needed to keep future lunar equipment powered.
In an October 14 update, NASA said prototype cells from its SPEARS project operated well from 80°C down to −60°C, continued working with reduced performance at −80°C, and showed no damage after exposure from 100°C down to −170°C in thermal-vacuum testing.
An earlier Reddit discussion reflects public interest in NASA’s solid-state battery research; it is included for context and is not evidence for the new SPEARS test results.
SPEARS replaces the liquid electrolyte used in conventional lithium-ion batteries with solid ceramic- or polymer-based material. NASA says that matters because liquid electrolytes can freeze, evaporate in vacuum, or become a fire risk. The project is targeting rovers, drills, astronaut emergency packs and long-duration instruments.
A separate technical summary highlights the main limitation: the test does not show a flight-ready battery that can operate through the coldest lunar conditions. NASA says the Moon’s South Pole can fall to about −200°C. The current cells survive much colder temperatures than they can actively operate in and would still need heaters before use.
The work fits a wider lunar engineering push that includes surface power systems, extreme-environment lander design and solid-state battery development on Earth.
NASA explains its earlier SABERS solid-state battery research, the technology base that helped advance extreme-environment battery development.
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