First fully functioning solar array fabricated using the resources extracted from lunar regolith simulant using Maana Electric’s ISRU technologies

Foetz, October 14th 2024

In the frame of the 75th edition of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) Maana Electric unveiled the successful development of its first fully ISRU-based solar panel, marking a major milestone in the company’s long-term effort to enable sustainable energy systems for space exploration.

This achievement represents the first-ever solar panel manufactured using 99% low-value feedstock, providing a concrete and validated proof that Maana’s in situ resource utilization (ISRU) technologies can enable the production of functional solar devices directly from local resources. The result demonstrates, for the first time, a realistic pathway toward manufacturing solar power systems on the Moon, drastically reducing dependence on Earth-supplied materials.

This milestone is the outcome of more than six years of focused research, engineering development, and experimental validation, driven by Maana Electric’s multidisciplinary team. It reflects a deep integration of material processing, high-temperature systems, and energy technologies, all developed with the constraints and challenges of the space environment in mind.

Beyond its technical significance, this achievement stands as an important moment for the broader space resources community and for Luxembourg, reinforcing its role as a pioneer in lunar exploration and the utilization of space resources.

This successful demonstration brings Maana Electric one step closer to realizing the LunaBox concept: a compact, deployable system capable of producing solar panels directly on the lunar surface. Ultimately, it reinforces Maana’s mission to deliver scalable energy solutions that support human presence and industrial activity beyond Earth.