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NASA’s SPEARS project is developing rechargeable batteries that can keep working through the Moon’s brutal temperature swings. Instead of the liquid electrolyte used in conventional lithium-ion cells, the design uses a solid ceramic- or polymer-based electrolyte, then applies small amounts of heat when the battery must deliver power. Prototype cells have operated at temperatures as low as −80 °C (−112 °F) with reduced performance and survived exposure to −170 °C (−274 °F) without lasting damage.
Why ordinary batteries struggle on the Moon
The lunar south pole can fall to about −200 °C (−328 °F) during its night and climb to roughly 100 °C (212 °F) in daylight. That range is difficult for batteries designed for Earth, where thermal systems normally keep cells within a much narrower operating window.
Conventional lithium-ion batteries contain a liquid electrolyte. In lunar darkness, that liquid can freeze; in daytime heat it can degrade; and in the vacuum of space, volatile components can evaporate. A frozen cell cannot move ions normally, while overheating can permanently damage its chemistry or create safety risks.
The challenge is also measured in time. NASA technical work describes a lunar night lasting about 354 hours. At the poles, a winter period can last up to 4.5 months, creating long intervals when equipment must either remain warm, hibernate, or survive without operating.
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How NASA’s SPEARS battery works
NASA’s Solid Power for Extreme Environment Adaptability and Resilience in Space (SPEARS) project replaces the liquid electrolyte with a solid material based on ceramic or polymer chemistry. A solid electrolyte does not freeze in the same way a liquid does, allowing the cell to tolerate much colder conditions while stored.
The battery is not expected to produce full power at every temperature. Small heaters can warm the cell to its useful operating range when a rover, instrument or crew device needs energy. This heater-assisted approach avoids keeping an entire spacecraft continuously warm, which can reduce the mass and power devoted to thermal-control hardware.
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What the prototype tests showed
| Test condition | NASA-reported result | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| −60 °C (−76 °F) | Cells operated | Demonstrated useful operation in severe cold. |
| −80 °C (−112 °F) | Cells operated with reduced performance | Power or capacity is lower, but the cell remains functional. |
| 80 °C (176 °F) | Cells operated | Shows tolerance of substantial lunar daytime heat. |
| 100 °C to −170 °C (212 °F to −274 °F) exposure | No sustained damage | Survival after temperature extremes is different from delivering full power at those temperatures. |
NASA testing and research lead Yi Lin said, “We proved for the first time that these cells can work down to minus 80 degrees Celsius.” The result is a prototype milestone, not a claim that every solid-state chemistry or future flight battery will have the same limits.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsAre NASA’s lunar batteries solid-state?
Yes, SPEARS is pursuing solid-electrolyte batteries, commonly described as solid-state batteries. The electrolyte is solid, but that label does not specify one universal chemistry. NASA is evaluating ceramic and polymer options and can adjust the cell chemistry for the mission’s priorities.
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Lin compares the process with batteries on Earth: “Just like the chemistry in your earbuds is different from the chemistry in your phone, which is different from the chemistry in your car, all these chemistries can still function with a solid electrolyte. We can tune for energy, tune for power, tune for durability, depending on the application.”
What happens during the lunar night?
Equipment that must operate
A battery-powered drill in a permanently shadowed crater, a rover traversing a cold region, or an emergency kit needed by astronauts could use heaters to bring the cells back to operating temperature. The heater consumes energy, so system designers must balance warm-up time, heater power, battery capacity and the duration of the task.
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Equipment that can wait
For instruments that can hibernate, survival may matter more than immediate output. NASA’s 2025 technical report records a separate approach in which selected 18650 lithium-ion cells endured freeze/thaw cycles down to 50 K (−223 °C) and recovered voltage and charge capacity after warming. That result concerns a particular cell selection and hibernation strategy; it is not the same technology as SPEARS and does not show continuous operation at −223 °C.
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- Rovers: rechargeable power for mobility and instruments across changing illumination and shadow.
- Shadowed-crater drills: intermittent high-power work where keeping a large thermal system warm would be costly.
- Scientific instruments: energy storage that can survive long cold periods between measurements.
- Astronaut emergency kits and portable power packs: compact backup energy that can be warmed only when needed.
- Future surface infrastructure: batteries sized for repeated charge and discharge as power demand changes.
NASA Ames is developing flight hardware, test boards and electronics for additional space-environment testing. SPEARS began in 2026 and remains a technology-development effort; NASA has indicated that commercial collaboration could be considered later.
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How the main lunar-power approaches compare
| Approach | Cold behavior | Thermal support | Best fit | Current maturity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPEARS solid-electrolyte cells | Operate to −80 °C with reduced performance; survived exposure to −170 °C in NASA tests | Small heaters used to reach operating temperature | Rovers, instruments, drills and emergency power | NASA prototype and development project |
| Conventional liquid-electrolyte lithium-ion cells | Liquid electrolyte can freeze or degrade at lunar extremes | Requires substantial thermal management or a protected enclosure | Systems that can maintain a controlled temperature | Established terrestrial technology; lunar suitability depends on the thermal design |
| Freeze/thaw hibernation using selected 18650 cells | Survived cycles to 50 K (−223 °C) and recovered after warming in NASA testing | Warm-up required before useful operation | Long-duration dormant instruments and other low-duty systems | Reported test approach, distinct from SPEARS |
Important design trade-offs include operating temperature versus survivability-only cold soak, heater and thermal-management mass, energy density, safety and flammability, rechargeability, cycle life, flight readiness and the power profile of the payload.
What this means for future missions
A battery that survives a cold soak is not automatically a battery that can propel a rover or run a radio. Mission engineers still have to qualify output power, usable capacity, recharge behavior, cycle life, packaging, electronics and heater energy in vacuum and lunar-like temperature cycles.
SPEARS matters because it offers a way to separate survival from continuous heating. If a cell can remain undamaged while cold and be revived with a small heater, spacecraft may need less always-on thermal hardware, potentially reducing mass and extending mission duration. NASA’s TechPort descriptions also identify possible terrestrial dual-use areas such as electric vehicles, electric aircraft and other energy-storage systems, but no retail SPEARS battery has been identified.
Bottom line for lunar battery technology
NASA is not announcing a commercially available “Moon battery.” It is testing solid-electrolyte rechargeable cells designed for extreme environments. The early evidence shows operation to −80 °C with reduced performance and survival after exposure to −170 °C, while a separate 18650 hibernation test reached 50 K before recovery on warming. Together, these approaches show why future lunar systems may combine solid-state chemistry, selective heating and deliberate hibernation rather than rely on one battery specification for every task.
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