Honeybee Robotics, part of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, has received funding to develop an ambitious project for the Moon. We are talking about creating “street lights” 100 meters high, which exceeds the size of the Statue of Liberty, reports daily.afisha.ru with reference to LiveScience.
The project is designed to solve the problem of long lunar nights, lasting about two Earth weeks. This poses a serious threat to future researchers relying on solar energy.
In a promotional video, principal investigator Vishnu Sanigepalli explained how the devices work. The massive structures will store solar energy during the lunar day and then illuminate the surrounding area with powerful floodlights during the two-week night.
The impressive height of the installations is due not only to the need to illuminate the vast lunar craters, but also to the ability to place up to 900 kg of scientific equipment, including cameras and communications equipment, at a significant height.
In addition, it is planned to place power adapters at the base of each tower to recharge lunar rovers and other potential lunar equipment.