Deep space studies may soon be able to take advantage of explorations that make use of energy storage with more efficient battery systems than what is currently used.
Phase II awards have now been given by NASA's Game Changing Development (GCD) program to awardees whose proposals aim to develop next-generation energy storage technologies.
According to NASA, high-energy storage devices reduce the mass required in storing electrical power in space, therefore improving future human and robotic exploration missions.
Federal funding enabled several universities, research and development centers and industries to submit their proposals for Phase II. In Hampton, Virginia, NASA's Langley Research Center looks after the GCD program for the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at the agency's headquarters in Washington.
The two awardees for Phase II are Amprius Inc. of Sunnyvale, California for the Silicon Anode Based Cells for High Specific Energy Li + Systems and the University of Maryland, College Park's Garnet Electrolyte Based Safe Lithium-Sulfur Energy Storage.
"Technology drives exploration, and battery technology is a critical element of that drive," said the STMD's associate administrator Steve Jurczyk. He emphasized a possible dramatic improvement and the affordability of power and energy needed for exploration missions in the future. "The development effort will focus on delivering safe, low mass batteries to enable longer missions deeper into space," he added.
Especially for travels to Mars and other explorations, these advanced battery system technologies are highlighted in NASA's strategic investments and technology roadmaps. The NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities of the National Research Council also emphasized the need to increase the availability of power and eliminate its constraints on missions in space.
NASA also highlighted that while battery systems will be improved and power systems become reliable, the mass of energy storage may be reduced to more than 50 percent.
Phase I awardees received around $250,000, enough to fund a component test and analysis phase that went on for eight months. Phase II awards, which Aprius Inc. and the University of Maryland received, gave out approximately $1 million, providing funding for a 12-month engineering and hardware phase. NASA will double the funding for Phase III and award $2 million for a prototype hardware development that should be completed in 18 months
Photo: Tim Pearce | Flickr
