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Plans are afoot to build giant lighthouses on the Moon. Here’s why

The Moon, a source of fascination for centuries, is becoming the focus of new exploration initiatives aimed at studying its physiological aspects and developing infrastructure for potential lunar habitation. One such ambitious plan involves the construction of giant lighthouses on the Moon by Honeybee Robotics, a company specializing in space exploration technologies.

Known as the Lunar Utility Navigation with Advanced Remote Sensing and Autonomous Beaming for Energy Redistribution (LUNARSABER), this tower of power is designed to be approximately 330 feet (100 meters) tall, with the potential to scale over 650 feet (200 meters) above the lunar landscape. The tower aims to serve as a multi-functional structure, integrating solar panels for power generation, storage, and transfer, as well as communication and surveillance systems.

LUNARSABER’s unique design includes a deployable structure topped by solar panels, ensuring continuous visibility of the sun from the lunar south pole. This strategic placement allows the tower to act as a lighthouse, illuminating the lunar surface during lunar nights and serving as a single-point infrastructure for various purposes.

Kris Zacny, vice president of Exploration Systems at Honeybee Robotics, explained that the tower’s cameras, communication systems, and floodlights would enable it to serve as a reliable reference point for rovers and other lunar activities. Placing one or two such towers at the lunar south pole could provide comprehensive coverage of the entire area.

The initial assumption that certain locations near the lunar poles would have perpetual sunlight, ideal for solar power generation, was challenged by observations from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). It was discovered that there are no locations near the poles that receive consistent sunlight throughout the year. However, the analysis indicated that the rims of craters near the lunar south pole, due to their height, experience long lunar days, making them suitable for the deployment of solar panels.

The LUNARSABER project reflects a broader vision of developing lunar infrastructure to support future human activities and explore the potential for a lunar economy.

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