PowerUP’s CEO, Dr. Ivar Kruusenberg, attended the “New Capabilities and Countries in European Space” Conference on May 23-24, 2023, hosted by the European Space Agency (ESA). The conference aimed to foster cooperation and partnerships among space sector actors, showcasing the capabilities and achievements of entities from various states. 

Earlier, PowerUP Energy Technologies signed a contract with the European Space Agency to develop a 1kW liquid-cooled closed cathode hydrogen fuel cell stack for space usage.

 “Usually fuel cells are open cathode. This means that they take oxygen from the surrounding air, but in the case of Mars and Moon missions, there is no oxygen. To tackle this, with the help of ESA, we will develop a 1kW closed cathode hydrogen fuel cell stack that could work in such space missions.”

 – Dr. Ivar Kruusenberg

The 1kW closed cathode hydrogen fuel cell technology stack will be used on Lunar cargo ships and potentially even rovers, becoming an additional energy source along with solar panels and batteries. This innovative technology will provide power during extended periods of darkness when solar panels cannot charge the batteries.

“I believe fuel cell systems have a great potential in space missions to the Moon or Mars, particularly to power supply robotic rovers and cargo ships, such as in the current case. We are extremely excited to develop this under the European Space Agency’s guidance.”

 – Dr. Ivar Kruusenberg

The first prototype of a 1kW closed cathode hydrogen fuel cell stack is set to be ready by the end of 2023. To stay informed and up to date, make sure to explore more news articles from PowerUP.