One of the most important needs for future Moon and Mars bases is energy. Blue Origin, on the other hand, has achieved a significant success by using the new solar cells it has developed with the soil of the Moon.
Blue Origin, the aerospace research company founded by Jeff Bezos, is critical for Moon and Mars missions. However, whether the company lands on the Moon or not, it has made an important breakthrough for the continuity of the operations to be carried out on our satellite, and a solar panel was made from the soil of the Moon.
Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company has announced that it can produce solar cells and conduction materials using the simulated lunar regolith. The soil structure on the moon’s surface has all the components needed to make solar cells, and therefore solar panels. This regolitic structure contains silicon, iron, magnesium, aluminum and more.
Solar Panel Can Be Made from Moon Soil
Thanks to the company’s Blue Alchemist technique, molten electrolysis is used to separate the aluminum, iron and silicon of the lunar soil from the oxygen to which it is bound. As a result of this process, the components required for a solar panel can be obtained. However, this technique from Blue Origin is also pretty neat. The company defines its technologies as zero carbon emission. In addition, there is no need to use water during the process, and toxic substances are not released after the process.
Blue Origin states that the silicon obtained as a result of the process is 99.999 percent pure. This level of purity is necessary to make efficient solar cells and ultimately solar panels. However, the harsh conditions of the Moon can reduce the life of traditional solar panels to only a few days, but Blue Origin states that a protective glass can be made with the same technique and its useful life can be increased up to 10 years.
Blue Origin offers it as a solution for NASA’s Artemis program and Mars missions. Because the agency has a plan to establish a campus here. Of course, there was always the idea to exploit the existing structure of the planet for extraterrestrial habitats. However, these concepts often focused on habitats. Local energy systems for the facilities to be established have recently started to take up a larger area.
