DARPA has awarded funding to Honeybee Robotics to conceptualize an unusual tower as part of the LUNARSABER project. It is designed for future lunar colonies.
The idea is to utilize the diurnal rhythm of the moon, where night lasts 2 Earth weeks. By installing tall towers near the moon's south pole, it will capture sunlight even during dark times. Researchers at Honeybee Robotics have calculated that a single 100-meter “lamppost” will be able to receive solar energy up to 95% of the time, providing a constant power source of about 100 kW. This will provide light and heat during the lunar night, as well as electricity to run various equipment. They can also serve for the installation of communication facilities.
According to the authors of the project, since transportation of such a tower to the Moon is impossible, it is planned to assemble it on site using a special machine that will bend metal sheets into cylinders under conditions of reduced gravity.
Although the project is still in its early stages, it has already attracted the attention of a U.S. agency because of its promising technologies, including wireless power transmission. If the project is successful, Honeybee Robotics is ready to offer commercial versions of the towers to interested parties.
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