CTEK battery chargers power the very first moon analogue habitat, to help space architects design homes for the future!
Two Danish Space Architects, Sebastian and Karl-Johan, from a design company called SAGA, are making it their mission to make space habitable for future space travellers. They passionately believe that the design of homes in space will be a really important part of any mission / trip to the moon, that can significantly impact a person’s mental well-being and social sustainability whilst living in this harsh environment.
Between September and November 2020, Sebastian and Karl-Johan embarked on the LUNARK expedition, that saw them live for two months in the very first Moon Analogue habitat in the Arctic, Greenland. Greenland was chosen because just like the moon, it has an extreme climate far away from civilization. The landscape is bare and lifeless, and the Sun does not follow a normal circadian rhythm. Whilst Sebastian and Karl-Johan didn’t need to wear a space suit, they had to wear a polar suit to survive the cold. They endured -30°C temperatures, hurricane winds, and even hungry polar bears!
Due to the remote location of the expedition, the LUNARK team used a generator, with variable power outputs up to 5.5 kW. They used this generator to charge 10 lithium (LiFePO4) 12V batteries with a capacity of 10x 100Ah that provided power to the habitat (pod). The estimated power consumption of the pod meant that these critical batteries would drain in approx. 24 hours with no charging.
The Team approached CTEK, who was delighted to provide the LUNARK team with 5 x PRO 25S battery chargers, that can efficiently and safely charge 12V Lithium LiFePO4 batteries. The combined charging amp of around 125A, meant that they could charge all batteries fully in 8 hours. Designed and tested in Sweden, CTEK products can be used in the harshest conditions, so efficiency and performance would not be compromised.
Now safely back from their mission, Sebastian and Karl-Johan have learnt a lot. They said “This experiment has led to the development of a radically different Moon habitat where architecture helps to counteract monotony, claustrophobia and psychological stress.
We wanted to understand with our own bodies, what is truly important when living in isolation under these extreme conditions.
To collaborate with CTEK was swift, and their team members were very helpful in finding the perfect chargers. The CTEK chargers were an important part of our mission and meant that we could undertake our mission without power interruption, they were the perfect solution for our Habitat in the extreme climate of the Arctic. We would like to say thank you to CTEK for their support.”
Click here to find out more about the mission.
