Blue Origin announces that it is able to produce the materials needed for solar panels using only products from the Moon.
The firm founded by Jeff Bezos to participate in the space conquest would have succeeded in developing an original process allowing it to obtain (in particular) silicon from lunar materials. This would promote the construction of solar panels on the Earth satellite, regardless of potential “imports”.
Silicon made in Luna
The Moon is in fashion again. With the Artemis missions, NASA wants, in the coming years, to bring astronauts to the ground of our satellite again, in order to then set up the very first human base there. An old dream of our species which obviously raises questions about satisfying the needs of those present, including those for energy.
And in this area, Blue Origin already has a solution to offer, called “ Blue Alchemist “. The American company is said to have succeeded in obtaining silicon, the basic material for solar panels, from purely lunar products. More precisely, it would be a substitute for the latter, a regolith simulant, whose chemical properties are similar to those of lunar rocks.
And spare fuel!
Through a process using electrolysis and carried out at very high temperature (1,600 degrees Celsius), Blue Origin would have succeeded in separating the oxygen from the iron, silicon and aluminum available in this material. The invention would also make it possible to produce glass, which would be used as a protective coating for solar panels on the moon.
And this would not be the only benefit of the discovery since oxygen would also be made accessible by this operation, oxygen used as fuel for the take-off of space rockets. This is of interest to NASA, which is considering the construction of a 5 km long gas pipeline on the stellar body, in order to transport the fuel from its place of production to a storage unit.
Finally, to make matters worse, the American company explains that this advance could also be useful for terrestrial energy production. The process would not use any hazardous chemicals, and could therefore improve the photovoltaic industry. So, decisive progress?
Source : Wccftech
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