Created: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2023-03-11
Company - Maana Electric
Product/Service - TerraBox
- Classification
- Space Utilities
- Category
- Resources - Energy
Resources - Oxygen
ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilization)
In-Space Manufacturing
- Fields
- Utility
- Status
- Development
- First launch
- Not announced
Develops scalable solar panel production facilities and aims to be the first utility company to service clients anywhere in the solar system. Using materials that can be found in desert sand and a completely emission-free process, Maana Elecric’s solar panels will be available at a price that is 60% below that of conventional solar farms. Its LunaBox is able to produce 1 megawatt of capacity per year on the Moon while also generating breathable oxygen.
TerraBox
Maana Electric’s TerraBox is a fully automated factory capable of producing solar panels using only sand and electricity as inputs. The TerraBox fits within shipping containers, allowing the TerraBoxes to be transported to deserts across the globe and produce clean renewable energy.
Reactor for production of heat and pure ISRU metal during lunar nights through thermite reaction
Thermite reactions are chemical reactions between a pure metal and a metal oxide, which release a lot of energy and form a more stable metal oxide and a reduced metal. These reactions can refine many different metals with a relatively high purity, and the resulting metals could be used to build on the Moon. This early technology development project aims to develop a thermite reactor with the double role of producing the metals needed for building and living on the Moon, and generating heat to keep astronauts warm at night.