Honeybee Robotics, the space company that Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin acquired in 2022, has unveiled a concept for a 100-meter pole for future lunar bases. This pole, named Lunar Utility Navigation with Advanced Remote Sensing and Autonomous Beaming for Energy Redistribution (LUNARSABER), will be able to perform lighting, communications, power supply, and interoperability with other similar poles.
The company has already received funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as part of the LunA-10 lunar architecture study. Honeybee Vice President Vishnu Sanigepalli emphasized that this project would greatly simplify access to energy and communications on the lunar surface.
Since it’s impossible to get an entire pole to the Moon, Honeybee developed the DIABLO system. It helps to assemble the metal structure directly on the surface of the moon. After deployment, LUNARSABER will be able to illuminate the area during the lunar night, which lasts about two Earth weeks, and generate power with solar panels that will function even during times of low sunlight. Estimates show that one such pole can produce about 100 kilowatts of power.
If LUNARSABER is installed near the South Pole, it can provide up to 95% of the illumination for the entire lunar year. It can also wirelessly transmit power and provide communications for a future lunar base.
Honeybee plans to attract not only NASA, but other commercial and non-commercial customers as well. Sanigepalli compared the LUNARSABER to a Swiss Army knife, noting its versatility and ability to adapt to different needs.
According to futurism.com
