Spark plugs and ceramics manufacturer NGK Spark Plug has become a corporate partner in the HAKUTO-R Program led by ispace, a lunar exploration company. This partnership will add an interesting component to the program—testing a trial design of NGK Spark Plug’s solid-state battery technology on the moon.
The battery test will hopefully help the lunar industry find a stable energy storage solution, according to an ispace press release, and the moon isn’t the friendliest place for such systems. The technology has to handle the moon’s frigid temperatures that exist during the lunar night, and at the moon’s poles, which are eternally shadowed regions that can plummet to approximately -240°F (-150°C).
Current lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries with their liquid electrolytes would freeze under those conditions, “which would cause the expansion of volume and risk of damaging the internal structure of the battery. Therefore, a stable power supply in space and on the Moon is critical for exploration and further development,” according to ispace.
To avoid freezing, one solution is to attach an electrical generator, but this option comes with a few downsides. For instance, the generator produces heat using sources that can be hazardous, such as radioactive isotopes. This is why the lunar test will use solid-state battery technology, as it replaces the freezing-prone liquid electrolytic with a solid material, like ceramic. In addition to withstanding cold temperatures, the end result is predicted to be safer and more compact.
The HAKUTO-R Program is broken down into two missions. The first will take place in 2020, where “the first privately-led Japanese test mission” will put the lander into orbit around the moon, according to the program’s website. The lunar will also relay data back to Earth as it tests critical technologies for the second phase.
The following year, phase two will begin, where the lander will perform a soft lunar landing, and deploy rovers for data collection and transporting customer payloads to the moon.
SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket will be carrying the HAKUTO-R’s lunar lander and rovers as secondary payloads.
Managed by ispace, HAKUTO was one of the five finalists of the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition that ended without a winner in March 2018. After six months’ time, HAKUTO-R was chosen as the current program’s name, with the “R” standing for “Reboot.”