Towards Installing the First Lunar Microgrid

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Artemis II lunar flyby mission paved the way for future moon landings and directed research toward installing the first lunar microgrid. NASA predicts that a solar-powered microgrid at the lunar South Pole (LunaGrid) will become operational in 2028 and will interconnect multiple nodes to support the Artemis Base Camp. The architecture of the LunaGrid microgrid will be modular for the integration of several fission reactors (in one nuclear power plant of up to 100 kW). The aim is to ensure a continuous supply of electricity to the Artemis Base Camp by 2030 during the 14-day lunar nights when solar power is not available. In addition, the Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) plan to install another nuclear power plant and accompanying microgrid on the moon by the mid-2030s to power their International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). It is therefore obvious that a race has already begun between the space superpowers in electrifying the moon. In addition to the components for electricity generation, each of the future lunar microgrids will contain components for transmission, distribution, storage and consumption of electricity, as well as all other devices and equipment that exist in islanded microgrids on Earth. However, current prices for delivery of each of these components, devices and equipment to the moon are more than one million US dollars per kilogram, and each of them will operate there under extreme environmental conditions. Therefore, the electrification of the moon represents a state-of-the-art challenge for all the interested researchers who will further contribute to advancing knowledge on this specific topic.