Blue Origin develops solar power towers on the Moon
Space reported that American billionaire Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin company on September 25 shared a video simulating the process of landing and deploying an energy tower on the Moon. This is an easy-to-use vertical solar power system that provides a stable source of energy for the future base and ground equipment. Named Power Tower, the system can provide more than 10 kW of electricity to operate the base at the south pole, solving one of the major technical challenges that must be overcome when exploring the Moon for a long time: producing electricity in the harsh polar environment.
According to India Today, the energy tower is 20 meters high and transported to the Moon on the Blue Moon MK1 lander. After landing, the system uses a telescopic pole that expands vertically to push the power generation cluster up, then deploys the support arm and spreads two giant solar panels.
Astrocurrent said that at the Moon's poles, the Sun is always near the horizon, casting long shadows over craters and low terrain. Some high areas near the Moon's poles can receive sunlight for unusually long periods of time, while nearby low areas are in darkness. Therefore, the location and altitude of the solar panel becomes especially important to maintain continuous operation.
By deploying photovoltaic panels on a raised vertical structure, Blue Origin's system raises the energy harvesting surface above certain obstacles and accesses sunlight that cannot reach the ground. Thereby, the Power Tower can solve the problem of energy shortage during lunar nights lasting 14 Earth days. Thanks to its modular structure, multiple Power Towers can be connected together to create a power grid, transmitting energy from the lander to rovers, scientific equipment and long-term bases.
Blue Origin tested the deployment of a power tower on Earth on July 22, 2026. This system can be developed based on previous technology, Lunar Array Mast and Power System (LAMPS) developed and tested by Honeybee Robotics, a subsidiary of Blue Origin, at the Johnson Space Center in Houston in 2024. Honeybee Robotics participated in NASA's Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) project, to create the power needed for humans to live and work long-term on the Moon.
Blue Origin's energy tower can support operations for the lunar base that NASA plans to build through the Artemis program. NASA's Moon base project is in its first phase, lasting until 2029. According to the current plan, the Moon base will go into operation in 2032.