Blue Origin has managed to fabricate a functional solar cell prototype using lunar regolith stimulants. This simulated moon dust is both chemically as well as mineral accurate to the real thing, taking into account for both lunar variability in grain size as well as bulk chemistry.
The simulated moon dust ensures that the starting material is as realistic as possible before being placed in a reactor, which produces iron, silicon, and aluminum through molten regolith electrolysis. This process involves an electrical current that separates those elements from the oxygen to which they are bound, with the only byproduct being oxygen for propulsion and life support. It purifies silicon to more than 99.999%, or the purity required to make efficient solar cells, all the while only using sunlight and the silicon from the reactor.
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For protection from the harsh lunar environment, solar cells need cover glass; without it, they would only last for days. Our technique uses only molten regolith electrolysis byproducts to make cover glass that enables lunar lifetimes exceeding a decade,” said Blue Origin.
