LUNARK
A Journey to the Moon
THE EXPEDITION
During the next year, two young Danish Space Architects, Sebastian, and Karl-Johan will face this question as they design, build, and live for three months in the very first Moon Analogue habitat in the Arctic, Greenland.
Isolated and confined in one of the harshest climates on Earth, they will endure -30°C, hurricane winds, and hungry polar bears.
In the past year, they’ve established SAGA Space Architects and won several awards for their work. Now they will do their most ambitious project yet.
The Habitat Challenges
Exterior like a tank, the interior like a home. While introducing “hygge” and stimulating internal space, the habitat has to face the following arctic and lunar challenges:
Arctic Climate: Temperatures of -30°C and wind speeds of 90 km/h, require a sturdy habitat with heavy insulation.
Transportable: Shipping stuff to the Moon or Greenland is expensive. We will develop a unique expanding design to save space during transport and maximize space after deployment.
Solar energy: The project simulates a mission to the peak of eternal light on the Moon, which has a similar day-night cycle to the arctic day. We will take full advantage of this by integrating solar panels in the skin of the habitat and supply it with all its energy needs.
Polar Bears: On the Moon, there is a risk of being hit by a meteor. In Greenland, you might get hit by a polar bear. The habitat must withstand a curious 650 kg polar bear.
Zero Waste Ecosystem: The habitat must leave no trace and recycle as much waste as possible.
The habitat features custom SUNBEAMsystem solar panels. They were specially designed to fit the habitat for the LUNARK expedition. They will provide them, energy enough for the whole habitat. In order to maximize the power of the solar panels, the habitat is also equipped with:
– SMART LITHIUM Drive 1300Wh batteries
– SMART LITHIUM Basic 100aH batteries
– MOONRAY MPPT solar charge controllers
AFTER MISSION UPDATE
The 3-month analog mission
THE ANALOG MISSION 1000 KM NORTH OF THE POLAR CIRCLE
From September to November the habitat was tested on an analog Moon mission. The mission took place near Moriusaq - Greenland in the high arctic. Sebastian Aristotelis and Karl-Johan Sørensen deployed the habitat and lived in it for 60 days, completely isolated. During the expedition, the habitat sustained a comfortable living environment while enduring Hurricane scale winds, snowstorms, and temperatures down to -30°C.
Powered by the best solar panels
SUNBEAMsystem Solar Panels provided the energy needed
SUNBEAMsystem provided high-performance solar panels, charge controllers, and batteries. Lightweight yet robust panels attached to the exterior of the habitat, the perfect solution for the extreme climate of the Arctic. SMART LITHIUM batteries provided safe and efficient energy storage. These components are crucial for an off-grid mission like LUNARK. Independent tests put the solar cells at the top regarding real-world yield.
