Jeff Bezos' private space firm Blue Origin unveiled its new 'Blue Alchemist' technology that would ensure an abundance of solar power for long-term missions on the Moon. They did this by directly drawing materials from the lunar surface brought on Earth.
The company claims that it can scale indefinitely, removing power restrictions everywhere on the Moon.
Blue Origin's Novel Method
Blue Origin created regolith simulants that have similar chemical and mineral components of a lunar regolith to make sure that their starting material is as realistic as possible.
They claim to have created an efficient, scalable, and contactless method for melting and moving regolith that can remain robust in the lunar regolith's natural variations.
The company's reactor utilizes regolith simulants to generate iron, silicon, and aluminum via molten regolith electrolysis, in which an electrical current frees the elements from their bond with oxygen.
More than 99.999% of silicon is purified using Blue Origin's technique and such a degree of purity is key to producing solar cells. The process only requires sunlight and silicon from the reactor, as opposed to the several explosive chemicals used in conventional silicon purification techniques.
Using only reactor byproducts, the innovative approach fabricates solar cells and covers glass. These cells can withstand radiation damage on the Moon without deteriorating, according to Blue Origin.
Solar cells need a cover glass to protect them from the hostile lunar environment; otherwise, they would only endure for a few days. The process creates cover glass exclusively from molten regolith electrolysis leftovers, allowing for lunar lifetimes of more than ten years.
The space firm's method produces solar cells without using any water, harmful materials, or other chemicals.
At the same time, they have a dedicated lab for every stage of the production of solar cells and aluminum wire from regolith, including longevity and quality testing.
Limitless Solar Power
"Although our vision is technically ambitious, our technology is real now. Blue Origin's goal of producing solar power using only lunar resources is aligned with NASA's highest priority Moon-to-Mars infrastructure development objective," Blue Origin wrote in its blog post.
The company adds that their team "encompasses all disciplines needed to solve this unprecedented technical challenge: geologists, geochemists, electrochemists, metallurgists, materials and photovoltaic scientists, fluid dynamicists, mechanical and electrical engineers, roboticists, and instrument, space flight, and systems engineers."
Blue Alchemist is anticipated to provide limitless solar power wherever it is required once it is demonstrated and put into use on the Moon.
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