SBIR Phase II: High Power Microwave Robot for Industrial Extra-Terrestrial Resource Extraction

SBIR 第二阶段：用于工业外地资源开采的高功率微波机器人

• 批准号: 2304615
• 负责人: Mark Nall
• 金额: $ 99.91万
• 依托单位: OFF-WORLD, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-10-01 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2304615&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Power; Microwave; SBIR; Phase; II; Power; Microwave

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to improve space exploration over the next two decades. New space missions are being planned and executed at an increasing rate by countries and companies around the world. A novel space ecosystem is developing, especially with respect to the Moon. Over 30 lunar missions are planned for the next 10 years. The focus of this technology is to develop an antenna capable of projecting microwave beams into lunar rock with pinpoint accuracy. This innovation will have the commercial impact of enhancing digging and tunneling on the lunar surface creating landing pads, living quarters, and producing water and fuel with over 40% greater efficiency than other methods. Furthermore, this technology holds promise for improving mining on Earth too. As society transitions from a fossil fuel to an electric infrastructure, the demand for critical battery minerals is projected to increase 6 times by 2040. The innovation can streamline the processing of minerals by 50%, helping to meet this increasing demand that conventional approaches cannot meet. In summary, this project is about transforming lunar exploration and Earth mining, and enabling space exploration and the transition from fossil fuels.This SBIR Phase II project develops and validates the critical hardware subcomponents of the microwave antenna system, which are characterized by a compact array of high-power elements operating in phase. The distinctiveness of the design is its ability to increase the intensity of the microwave beam at a significant distance in front of the antenna. The beam weakens rock by directly injecting heat deep into it, which will simplify mineral extraction by making rock processing faster and more energy efficient. The antenna hardware itself is exposed to significantly lower electromagnetic stresses, allowing it to operate in extreme environments. Key Phase II project tasks are verifying the manufacturability of the antenna array; confirming its capabilities using testing on beam-forming, low-power reflection; and testing the capability to focus and steer a beam with high precision. Detailed electromagnetic measurements will fully characterize the antenna and confirm its high power and low power performance in the areas of the near-field radiation pattern, cross and co-polarization, reflected power, beam forming capability, antenna efficiency, and its ability to generate a high electric field density within a desired and steerable focal point.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.

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）II期项目的更广泛影响是在未来二十年中改善太空探索。全球各国和公司以越来越多的速度计划和执行新的太空任务。一个新颖的太空生态系统正在发展，尤其是在月球方面。计划在接下来的10年中，计划将超过30个农历任务。该技术的重点是开发一个能够以精确度将微波梁投射到月球岩石中的天线。这项创新将对月球表面上的挖掘和隧穿产生商业影响，从而产生着陆垫，居住区，并生产比其他方法高40％以上的水和燃料。此外，这项技术也有望改善地球上的采矿。随着社会从化石燃料到电力基础设施的过渡，预计到2040年对关键电池矿物的需求将增加6倍。创新可以将矿物质的加工简化50％，有助于满足这种常规方法无法满足的日益增长的需求。总而言之，该项目是关于改变月球勘探和地球开采，并实现空间探索以及从化石燃料的过渡。该SBIR II期项目开发并验证了微波炉天线系统的关键硬件子组件，这些硬件的关键硬件子组件以相位在相位运行的高压元素进行表征。设计的独特性是它在天线前面很大的距离上增加微波梁强度的能力。光束通过将热量直接注入深处来削弱岩石，这将通过使岩石加工更快，更节能来简化矿物的提取。天线硬件本身暴露于明显较低的电磁应力，使其可以在极端环境中运行。关键II期项目任务正在验证天线阵列的制造性；使用对梁形成，低功率反射的测试来确认其功能；并测试以高精度聚焦和引导光束的能力。详细的电磁测量结果将充分表征天线，并确认其在近场辐射模式，交叉和共磨性的领域中的高功率和低功率性能，反射功率，横梁形成能力，天线效率，天线效率及其能够在所需的范围内产生高电场密度的高电场密度，并通过nsf的基础奖励，并且已经反映了nsf的代表，并以此为基础，并以此为基础。优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。