Whether or whether Blue Origin sends a lander to the Moon, it might play an important role in maintaining lunar activities. Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight business has shown the ability to manufacture solar cells and transmission cables from artificial Moon regolith. To extract essential elements, the Blue Alchemist approach use molten electrolysis to remove the lunar soil’s aluminium, iron, and silicon from bonded oxygen. With just sunlight and the reactor’s silicon, the method may create solar cells, cover glass, and aluminium wire.
This method would not only save explorers the effort of importing materials, but it would also be better for the Moon and Earth. There are no carbon-based emissions, chemicals, or water requirements. Blue Origin says that the resultant solar cells can function on the Moon for more than a decade despite the “harsh” climate.
According to Ars Technology, Blue Origin is proposing this as a solution for NASA’s Artemis programme and Mars missions. With limiting environmental effect, the space agency might develop bases or other long-term deployments. Although the idea of utilising regolith to construct outposts isn’t new, previous attempts have mostly concentrated on dwellings rather than the electricity that powers such off-world installations.
Whether or whether Blue Origin’s innovation reaches NASA is another story, given the business has a checkered relationship with the US government. Although NASA is supporting the Orbital Reef space station and will utilise New Glenn to launch a Mars scientific mission, it lost a critical lunar lander contract to SpaceX and lost its challenge to the $2.9 billion transaction. Blue Alchemy technology, no matter how innovative, is not guaranteed to gain business.
