NASA has recently awarded about $150 million for the development of new space technologies, with a particular focus on projects related to the Moon. Various promising ideas have been proposed, aiming to exploit lunar regolith, generate electricity, and transmit that power to vehicles, all in preparation for the upcoming return to the Moon.

Among the selected projects, Blue Origin will receive $35 million to develop and test its concept called “Blue Alchemist.” This project aims to transform lunar regolith into solar cells to create photovoltaic panels while also extracting oxygen. Other projects focus on lunar technologies, including long-distance power transmission via a one-kilometer cable, lunar habitat construction and inspection techniques, regolith processing machines, and lunar-adapted navigation instruments.

Another critical aspect is electricity generation on the Moon. Zeno Power Systems is working on a Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG) using americium-241 to produce electricity. This generator would be capable of operating during the long lunar night, which lasts for fifteen Earth days, without relying on the costly and hard-to-produce plutonium typically used in large space projects.

These studies are crucial for the future of lunar missions as they will help select concrete solutions for Artemis missions, whether it’s lunar construction, long-distance power transmission, or generators. Currently, these technologies are not commonly used on the Moon, and NASA is supporting industrial efforts to advance these fields.

Additionally, NASA has allocated an extra $25 million to United Launch Alliance (ULA) for the development of an inflatable decelerator, called LOFTID, designed for the return of space or orbital hardware to Earth. This inflatable shield was successfully tested in 2022, and now NASA aims to conduct a larger-scale test with a 10-meter diameter demonstrator.

These ambitious projects reflect the growing interest in lunar exploration and the efforts being made to develop the necessary technologies for more extensive space exploration, including potential returns to Earth with valuable materials from the Moon.