Watts on the Moon Challenge

As NASA works to extend human exploration of the solar system, unprecedented capacity for energy distribution, management, and storage will be needed to support sustained human presence and the beginning of industrial activity.

Solar energy is abundant on the surface of the Moon, but extended night hours (350 consecutive hours) and the extreme environmental temperature change from daylight to nighttime, create problems for solar power use. Earth also addresses similar issues, where demand for additional renewable energy generation, including solar, is rising, but additional power management, distribution, and energy storage solutions are needed to address issues such as intermittency and resiliency.

Not only could novel solutions make a difference in lunar and space exploration, but technologies discovered during NASA’s Watts on the Moon competition could help facilitate new power options on Earth.

The Watts on the Moon Challenge is managed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and is part of Centennial Challenges, based at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Centennial Challenges are a part of the Prizes, Challenges and Crowdsourcing program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. Centennial Challenges has contracted HeroX to support the management of competitors for this challenge.

NASA Awards $1.5 Million at WOTM Finale

NASA has awarded a total of $1.5 million to two U.S. teams as part of the agency’s Watts on the Moon Challenge.

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At the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, Ohio, Team H.E.L.P.S. (High Efficiency Long-Range Power Solution) from The University of California, Santa Barbara pose with their $1 million check and the power transmission and energy storage hardware that won them the grand prize in the four-year competition. The team is comprised of six faculty researchers at UC Santa Barbara, led by team lead Dr. Philip Lubin (far right).

More Watts on the Moon Challenge News

A sunrise view of the hangar at NASA's Glenn Research Center

NASA’s Lunar Challenge Participants to Showcase Innovations During Awards

NASA‘s Watts on the Moon Challenge concludes on Friday, Sept. 20, at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland.

Four Teams Win Prizes to Advance Energy Technology for Moon Missions

NASA has selected four teams to advance to the final level of the agency’s Watts on the Moon Challenge, which seeks solutions to transmit and store energy on the lunar surface.

Seven Teams Advance

NASA has announced seven teams advancing to the next level of the agency’s Watts on the Moon Challenge.

image of lunar eclipse from 2000 by Fred Espenak

Second Phase Opened

The second phase of NASA's Watts on the Moon Challenge offers up to $4.5 million in prizes to design, build, and demonstrate a prototype that addresses technology gaps in power transmission and energy storage.

lunar_orbiter_1_launch_5_lunar_farside_tsiolkovsky_1115_med

NASA Awards $500,000

NASA has awarded $500,000 to seven winning teams in Phase 1 of the agency's Watts on the Moon Challenge.

Powering Exploration on the Moon

NASA invites innovative minds from across the United States to provide ideas for sustainable energy storage, distribution, and management on the lunar surface.

Contact Us

Challenge
Kim Krome (Acting Program Manager)
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256.544.1265
kimberly.w.krome@nasa.gov

Media Inquiries
Jonathan Deal (Public Relations Officer)
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
jonathan.e.deal@nasa.gov