lunar surface manufacturing · 2021. 1. 11. · 1 fiso december 2, 2020 lunar surface manufacturing...
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FISODecember 2, 2020
Lunar Surface Manufacturing
Dr. Alex Ignatiev and Dr. Ronald Polidan
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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Lunar Resources Background
Space Industrialization through Space Resource Utilization
Lunar Resources, Inc. - A Space Industrial Corporation: Development and Commercialization of Space Manufacturing and Space Resource Processing Technologies
Core Technologies: In-Space Vacuum Deposition, Molten Regolith Electrolysis
Current Programs/Missions: ADToMS, OSMOS, IN-SILICO, IN-WELD, MAGMA, Satellite Servicing Missions, and REPULSOR
Heritage: Wake Shield Facility Program; Molten Oxide Electrolysis Program
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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Heritage: Wake Shield Facility Program
• Performed >300 hours of Thin Film Deposition in Space on STS 60; 69; 80 (1994-1996)
• Fabricated High Quality Thin Film GaAs Semi-conductors• Proved Vacuum Wake Concept with Measured Vacuum of 10-13Torr.• Raised In-Space Vacuum Deposition Technology to TRL 8
Demonstrated Space Vacuum Deposition for Thin Film Materials and Devices Fabrication Wake Shield Facility, NASA
• Infused Vacuum Quality Enhancement in Semiconductor Industry• Led to R&D Programs in: Thin film Solid Oxide Fuel Cells; Thin
Film Resistive Random Access Memory, Nano-Structured High Density Capacitors, Thin Film Superconductors. UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
Free Flying Platform for Thin Film Materials Fabrication in Space Vacuum
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Heritage: Molten Oxide Electrolysis (MOE) Program
• Processed Regolith Simulant in a high temperature laboratory reactor cell• Extracted Oxygen at Anode• Extracted Regolith Slag
MOE Reactor, MIT
Demonstrated Electrochemistry for Extraction of Oxygen and Metals from Oxide Regolith
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
High-Temperature Electrolysis of Molten Regolith
• Enabled MOE for Steel Production on Earth
• Commercial Company formed for non-coke production of iron and steel – Boston Metal
Lunar Surface Manufacturing
5UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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Lunar Regolith Resource Extraction
Turning Lunar Soil into Product
Resource Extraction and Refining
Production of Raw Materials
Manufacturing of Final Products
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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Lunar Regolith Resource Extraction
Apollo 15 Average Apollo 16 AverageMare Highland
O 42.77% 44.50%Si 21.88% 21.03%Ti 0.84% 0.32%Al 7.73% 14.45%Cr 0.25% 0.23%Fe 11.12% 3.96%Mn 0.15% 0.23%Mg 6.93% 3.44%Ca 7.72% 11.22%Na 0.29% 0.34%K 0.17% 0.14%P 0.10% 0.06%S 0.06% 0.07%
Lunar Regolith Sample Compositions By ElementLunar Regolith
• Powdery Mixture of Metallic Oxides
• Relatively Homogenous Across the Moon• Mare Regolith has Higher Iron Content• Highland Regolith has Higher Al and Ca
• 5m – 15m in depth
• Covers the Entire Moon
Challenge: Breaking Apart Regolith’s Oxygen Bonds to Obtain Core Elements
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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Lunar Regolith Resource Extraction
Molten Regolith Electrolysis (MRE)
• Extraction of Oxygen (at Anode) and Metals (at Cathode)
• Direct Electrorefining of Regolith via Electrical Current/Voltage
• No Reagents or Secondary Processing Systems – MRE uses only electric current to extract and refine regolith…..
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
High-Temperature Electrolysis (~2000C)
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Lunar Resource Extraction
MRE Production of Raw MaterialsIndustry-Scale Production
• Oxygen• Metallurgical Grade Metals• Semiconductor Grade Silicon
Oxygen Aluminum
Silicon Titanium
Iron Manganese
Chromium Magnesium
Sodium Calcium
Nominal 1m3 MRE Reactor @ ~1500A• Process 64 Tons/yr of Regolith• Extract 3.7 Tons/yr of Oxygen• Extract 13 Tons/yr of Iron• Extract 3.2 Tons/yr of Silicon
Major Regolith Elements
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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Lunar ResourcesHighlighted Programs
Magma Program
FarView Program 1MW Program
LR Application of MRE Materials on the Moon
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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Magma Program
Metals for Lunar Structural ApplicationsMRE Extracted Metals
• Structural Iron• Rebar – lunar ‘concrete’ strengthening• I - beams – structure support• Conduit – fluid transport
• Structural Aluminum• Framework – inflatables/deployables• Conduit – fluid transport• Electrical transmission
• Conductive Magnesium/Calcium• Electrical Transmission (no atmosphere)
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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Magma Program
Metals for Lunar Manufacturing Applications
Thin Film Materials Fabrication• Lunar surface is a ~10-10 Torr vacuum• Apply Vacuum Deposition Techniques • Fabricate Thin Film Functional Materials
• Aluminum – wires; contacts; electrodes• Silicon – solar cells• Magnesium – wires, batteries• Calcium - wires• Sodium – battery component
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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FarView Concept
Construct Thin Film RF Antenna Array on Lunar Far Side• Fabricate Low-Frequency Radio Observatory on Far Side of
Moon - Fabricate Dipole Antenna Elements on the Lunar Surface
- Utilized Extracted Lunar Resources – aluminum; magnesium- Do Not Bring Everything From Earth
• Enable Astrophysics Study of the Cosmic Dark Ages (21cm Line)
• Construct 20km x 20km array with 100,000 dipoles• Fabricate 100,000 ten meter dipoles in 2 years
• Major Expansion of the FARSIDE Astrophysics Probe Study
UC Boulder
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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FarView Concept
Tools for Fabricating Thin Film Antennae
Direct fabrication of antenna elements on Lunar Surface
• Rover moves across lunar surface
• Regolith under rover is melted into a glass
• Aluminum or magnesium is deposited on glass
•Thin Film Antenna is fabricated
• Antennae are interconnected with thin film wires
Vapor Deposition Sources
Lunar Resources Lunar Deposition Rover
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
Lunar Surface Thin Film Deposition Rover
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FarView Concept: ATLASS Mission
Artemis Technology Lunar Astrophysics and Science Suite (ATLASS)
Lunar Resources
Proof of Concept Lunar Manufacturing for Science:Fabricate a Dipole Antenna Element on the Moon
• Deploy Small Rover on Far Side of Moon• Traverse ~10-15m from lander depositing 10m metallic dipole
element on lunar surface• Integrate dipole with pre-amp/data collection system & acquire
data on the global 21-cm radio frequency signal• Measure charged particle environment – electron spectrometer• Measure electric potential environment – electrometer• Measure atmospheric volatiles environment – mass
spectrometerUNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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1MW Program
In-Situ Lunar Solar Cell FabricationFabricate Thin Film Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells
• Utilize Thin Film Deposition Rover • Use Silicon and Aluminum Raw Materials• Deposit Solar Cell Structure on Melted Regolith Glass
Substrate• Interconnect Cells with Thin Film Wires to Form Arrays• Continuous Lay-Out of Cells on Lunar Surface• Microcrystalline Silicon Cell have Moderate Efficiency ~10%• However, Can Fabricate Array Capacity of ~450kW in one year
Lunar ResourcesUNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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1MW Program
1MW In-Situ Power Grid on the Lunar SurfaceDeploy Multiple Deposition Rovers and MRE Processors• MRE Processors Feed Deposition Rovers• Continuously Fabricate Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells• Interconnect Cell Arrays – Fabricate on Both Sides of Lim to
Allow for Uninterrupted Power Generation• 1MW In-Situ Electrical Power Generation and Storage on Lunar
Surface by 2030• Increase production by ~ 2-5 MW/yr
• Energy-Rich Environment on the Moon for Life Support; Transportation; Manufacturing; Science; Technology Development; Commercialization…..
Shimizu
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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1MW Program: Energy Storage
Manufacture of Lunar Battery from Lunar Resources Fabricate Thick Film Battery on Moon
• Reactive Metal Anode: Aluminum or Magnesium • Sulfur/Metal Matrix Cathode (co-deposition)• Metal Halide Electrolyte – confined in regolith divot
• Partial Electrolyte fabricated from lunar Cl/F and alkali metal and Partial Electrolyte brought from Earth • Thionyl Chloride (<20% mass of battery)
• Output Projected at ~35A-hr l at -100C
In-Situ Fabricated Energy Storage on the MoonUNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
Cathode
Anode
Electrolyte
Lunar Battery fabricated in a divot in the lunar regolith
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Lunar Regolith Resource Utilization
Lunar Resources: Production of Basic Materials and Devices on the Moon
Oxygen(By-Product)
Humans
Fabrication Materials
Structural Materials
Rebar Wire Metallic Conduit
Structural Trusses
Functional Materials
Solar Cells; transistors;
micro-electronics
Conductive thin film wires -transmission
lines
Absorptive, Emissive, and
Reflective Coatings
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
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Lunar ResourcesContact Information
Recent Lunar Resources Op-Ed in SpaceNews
https://spacenews.com/op-ed-to-get-to-mars-first-develop-the-moon/
Non-Technical POC: Elliot Carol, CEO
Technical POC: Dr. Alex Ignatiev, CTO
Thank You!
Science POC: Dr. Ronald Polidan, Manager
UNCLASSIFIED - Lunar Resources, Inc. –© 2018-2020
For Additional Information