EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF: Lunar Power System Digital Twinning For Surface Exploration Advancement

NASA’s Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon within the next few years and establish a sustainable presence there. This comprehensive mission focuses on developing technologies for long-duration spaceflights, exploring advanced life support systems and resource utilization. A key component of the Artemis project is having a reliable and resilient power system.

This project involves creating high-fidelity models, Digital Twins, of space-specific power generation sources, loads, and control systems, and communication, distinct from Earth's power grids in collaboration with NASA Glenn Research Center. The project includes designing a Lunar power system tailored for surface exploration missions. A graduate student, supported by the fellowship, will contribute to this research.

The collaboration promises significant advancements in Lunar microgrid design and operation, as well as Earth-space communication, with potential applications in intelligent health management for space systems. The partnership with NASA Glenn Research Center will enhance UL Lafayette's research capabilities, centered around space-based power systems, and its competitiveness nationally and globally.

The outcomes of this project will not only advance digital twinning for large-scale power systems, ensuring the U.S. remains competitive in global space exploration.

The Artemis program seeks to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustainable presence. An essential part of the Artemis is the development of reliable, autonomous, and resilient power systems tailored for the unique challenges of space environments, and different missions. The project involves collaboration with NASA Glenn Research Center to create high-fidelity digital models of space-specific power generation sources, loads, communication, and control systems.

Unlike Earth's power grids, space-based power systems require distinct considerations in terms of generation sources, structure, and controllability. The project involves synchronous digital twinning for hardware components and control schemes, enabling the development of prognostic and diagnostic approaches for intelligent and autonomous health management in space applications.

The project will develop a set of standards for fidelity quantification for space power systems digital twinning. The impact of varying communication latencies on the control system will also be explored. Furthermore, the project will study the interoperability of digital twinning platforms with NASA Platform for Autonomous Systems (NPAS).

A significant outcome of this project is the creation of a scalable Lunar power system as part of an existing DC nanogrid pilot testbed at UL Lafayette. This will operate alongside its digital twin for future studies. The collaboration promises advancements in Lunar microgrid design, Earth-space communication, and remote control for rapid decision-making during emergencies.

The project's outcomes and findings are expected to also contribute to digital twinning for large-scale power systems, aid in decarbonization efforts, and improve emergency response capabilities, ensuring the U.S. remains competitive in power and energy systems digital twinning.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.