Lunar Power Grid Passes Major Design Review Milestone
System Will Transmit First Kilowatt of Power Across Moon's Surface in 2026
A critical engineering milestone has been reached in the development of a lunar power demonstration mission by Astrobotic. The LunaGrid-Lite mission has now moved into flight hardware production.
"Achieving this milestone marks the completion of the design and planning phase for LunaGrid-Lite, propelling us into a flight-ready system by Q2 2026."
Matt Zamborsky, Astrobotic
The LunaGrid-Lite mission will deploy 1,640 feet of ultra-light cable across the lunar landscape and transmit 1 kilowatt of power using a CubeRover for the first time on the Moon's surface. The project successfully passed Critical Design Review, a major spacecraft development phase that finalizes all system designs and verifies they meet technical requirements before moving to flight component fabrication and assembly. The milestone puts the mission on track for completion by the second quarter of 2026.
"Critical Design Review requires each subsystem team to prove that their designs are fully defined, tested, and ready for flight hardware production," said Thomas Joyce, Systems Engineering Lead for LunaGrid-Lite. "Engineering models have been built and tested extensively to demonstrate mission readiness. This achievement reflects the tremendous work and collaboration across our company, and we're proud of what the team has accomplished."
With spaceflight component production now underway, the next major milestone will be the System Integration Review, scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2025. During this phase, completed hardware will undergo detailed evaluation to confirm readiness for full spacecraft integration.
The demonstration mission will test key technologies developed in partnership with NASA's Glenn Research Center, including a high-voltage power converter designed for low mass, high reliability, and thermal stability. The power cable has been engineered to be ultra-light while remaining robust against the harsh, abrasive effects of lunar dust.
Alex Pletta, Software Lead for LunaGrid-Lite, noted the mission's unique infrastructure focus: "While previous unmanned planetary rovers were built for scientific exploration, this rover integrated with the robotic cable deployer, will be the first rover ever to deliver near-permanent infrastructure to an extraterrestrial body."
"Achieving this milestone marks the completion of the design and planning phase for LunaGrid-Lite, propelling us into a flight-ready system by Q2 2026," said Matt Zamborsky, Senior Program Manager at Astrobotic. "This review confirms the maturity of our system designs and demonstrates that we are on track to deliver a mission capable of validating surface power delivery on the lunar surface."
By successfully demonstrating power transmission on the lunar surface, LunaGrid-Lite will lay the groundwork for Astrobotic's full-scale LunaGrid network. The larger system is being developed to deliver continuous and scalable power to support long-duration operations and permanent infrastructure at the lunar south pole, enabling extended missions through the lunar night.
"Power is the essential first step in enabling everything from science and mobility to human habitation," said John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic. "LunaGrid-Lite is the first step toward realizing that future."
Our Take
This development represents a significant step toward establishing permanent lunar infrastructure. Unlike previous lunar missions focused on exploration, this project aims to create the power distribution systems necessary for sustained human presence and industrial operations on the Moon.
The successful transmission of power across the lunar surface could enable future missions to operate through the two-week lunar night, when solar panels are ineffective. This capability is crucial for NASA's Artemis program and commercial lunar ventures planning long-term operations at the Moon's south pole.