NASA has recently announced major changes to its Moon landing
program, Artemis. While crewed missions to the lunar surface were
planned for 2028, the administration decided to add a preparatory
step to test commercial landers in Earth’s orbit a year
earlier, in 2027. This change is meant to reduce risks and
represents a shift toward more incremental mission design following
recent Artemis delays and safety concerns exposed in February.
Despite that, experts claim that transportation issues are just one
part of the equation.
The latest PwC Lunar Market Assessment also highlights the growing
economic importance of the Moon economy, projecting total revenues
of $127.3 billion by 2050, and identifies solar energy systems as
one of the priority technologies.
However, according to Mihails Šcepanskis, CEO of Deep Space
Energy, it is crucial to understand that solar power will not be an
ultimate solution for lunar surface operations, and alternatives
must be explored before any long-term mission begins to unlock that
economic potential.
“We already learned the lessons here on Earth that power needs
can’t be an afterthought, or there will be a price to pay,
especially when we discuss resource exploration missions, commercial
operations, or permanent systems on the lunar surface,” he
says. “Reliable surface energy is still one of the biggest
gaps on the Moon.”
Currently, solar power is one of the main proposed energy sources
for the future Moon economy. However, conditions on the Moon are far
more challenging than on Earth, as one lunar night is equal to
approximately 14 days on Earth – a period during which solar
panels stop generating power, leaving only batteries and non-solar
power to support the systems. Also, during the nighttime,
temperatures can fall below –170°C, requiring additional
energy to heat both equipment and batteries.
“Because of the long darkness period, relying solely on large
battery systems would impose a significant payload penalty. Any
long-term operation on the Moon must have reliable solarless power
generation to survive lunar night without blowing up the
budget,” Šcepanskis added.
Against that backdrop, major powers worldwide are increasingly
positioning nuclear energy as a foundation for long-term lunar
activity. Last month, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy
committed to developing a lunar surface fission reactor by 2030.
Russia has also signalled plans to pursue a nuclear-powered lunar
station concept in the mid-2030s.
According to Šcepanskis, the importance of mobility on the
Moon should not be overlooked when discussing future energy systems.
While large fission reactors may eventually power stationary lunar
bases, they are localised solutions and do not address the
operational needs of mobile platforms.
“There is no grid on the Moon,” he said. “A
reactor can support infrastructure at a base, but lunar rovers,
scouting vehicles, and prospecting missions operating far from fixed
installations must carry their own reliable power source.”
He argues that sustained exploration and resource assessment, both
critical to the development of a functioning Moon economy, will
depend on compact, non-solar energy technologies such as
radioisotope-based power systems.
“Imagine you appear in the Wild West era, but with a car. You
have to reach the West Coast from the East Coast, but there are no
fuel stations or infrastructure on your way. So, you run out of
fuel, the vehicle becomes useless,” Šcepanskis
explained. “The Moon presents a similar situation – a
fission reactor or a large solar installation can power a fixed
base, but once a rover or scouting mission moves far from base,
especially during extended lunar night, there is no ‘gas
station’ there. Mobility requires onboard power that can
operate independently throughout the lunar night.”
For example, companies like Deep Space Energy are developing compact
radioisotope power systems designed for mobility. Šcepanskis
shared that the primary constraint in scaling such systems is the
limited availability and high cost of space-grade radioisotope fuel.
“Conversion efficiency determines how many missions can
realistically be supported with the available supply. If you can
generate more electricity from the same quantity of radioisotopes,
you can scale deployment without increasing material demand.”
Unlike traditional thermoelectric radioisotope generators currently
used in deep space and planetary missions, Deep Space Energy uses a
modified Stirling-based conversion approach.
In the past, Stirling systems have been associated with reliability
trade-offs due to multiple moving components.
Šcepanskis said that the novel design addresses that
limitation by replacing the conventional dual free-piston
configuration with a simplified thermo-acoustic architecture. In
return, it reduces the number of moving parts to a single piston and
eliminates the need for a resonator. Conversion efficiency with such
a system is increased up to five times.
Such technology is designed to use Americium-241 sourced from
commercial nuclear waste, offering an alternative pathway within
constrained space-grade isotope supply chains.
“Solar will remain crucial for daytime operations, nuclear
reactors will serve stationary bases, and compact non-solar systems
will enable mobility,” Šcepanskis concluded. “We
need all of that for sustainable Moon operations.”
About Deep Space Energy
Deep Space Energy (DSE) is a Latvian startup company founded in
2022. The company is developing a new radioisotope power generator
for space that uses the heat produced by the nuclear self-decay of
radioisotopes – materials extractable from waste of commercial
nuclear reactors. The product aims for applications in deep space
science missions, lunar surface missions and high-value defence
satellites. The company is the first from Latvia to be selected in
the NATO DIANA programme, and it also received funding from the
European Space Agency through technology development contracts as
well as the ESA BIC program, financial support from the Latvian
government, as well as VC funds (Outlast Fund) and private investors
(Linas Sargautis). DSE also operates in the UK under the name Deep
Space Energy Limited.
Media Contact
Aivaras Vilutis
aivaras.v@sensuspr.com
