A High Voltage Tethered Power System for Planetary Surface Applications

Abstract

In the pursuit of human and robotic expansion of the Lunar surface and other planetary bodies, power conversion and transmission over long distances has emerged as a distinct need. The ability to transmit power over kilometers at high efficiency enables human settlement, in-situ resource utilization, and extreme terrain robotic exploration, through the ability to reach previously unreachable places. The critical building blocks of such a system are being developed by the Tethered Power System for Lunar Mobility and Power Transmission (TYMPO) project, a NASA project aimed at reaching flight readiness by 2024. This paper presents an architectural and requirements overview of the TYMPO project, along with technology discussions on the GaN-based multilevel DCX converters, dual fiber optics and power-line communications system, and high-voltage tether. Finally, a set of proposed future missions will be presented, mapping the capabilities of the TYMPO system to missions that may soon explore planetary surfaces throughout the solar system.