In the long human effort to extend our reach beyond Earth, the moon's brutal cold has posed a quiet but stubborn obstacle — one that strikes at something as familiar as a car that won't start on a winter morning. NASA researchers are now replacing the liquid heart of conventional batteries with solid materials, developing cells that can endure the lunar south pole's minus 328-degree nights without freezing, evaporating, or failing. The SPEARS project, born at Glenn Research Center and tested at Langley, represents not merely an engineering workaround but a rethinking of how we store and carry
NASA develops extreme-cold batteries for lunar exploration
Batteries survive the cold without needing constant heat
Mark
Why does the moon's temperature matter so much? Can't we just insulate the batteries?
Mimi
The moon's nighttime temperature is minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit. Insulation helps, but it adds weight and complexity to every mission. These solid-state batteries survive the cold without needing constant heating, which means lighter spacecraft and longer missions.
Luke
But the testing only went down to minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit. That's still 216 degrees warmer than the actual lunar nighttime. How confident are we that this scales?
Mimi
Fair point. The batteries survived exposure to minus 274 degrees without damage, but they don't operate at that temperature. They need to be warmed up. The question is whether the heating system will be reliable and efficient enough in practice.
Mark
So the solid electrolyte is the key innovation here?
Mimi
Exactly. Liquid electrolytes freeze, evaporate, or stop working at temperature extremes. A solid ceramic or polymer electrolyte doesn't have those problems. It's a fundamental material change.
Luke
And this is proven technology, or still experimental?
Mimi
Still experimental. They've tested small prototype cells. The next phase involves developing flight hardware and testing in actual space environments. Commercial applications are years away.
Mark
What makes this different from other solid-state battery research happening elsewhere?
Mimi
NASA is specifically engineering for the moon's environment—the temperature swings, the vacuum, the need for immediate functionality after cold exposure. That's a different design problem than, say, making a better phone battery.
Luke
The article mentions the project began in 2026. That's very recent. How much funding and timeline are we talking about?
Mimi
The source doesn't specify budget or timeline, which is a gap. We know they're in the development phase and planning commercial partnerships later, but the actual schedule and resources aren't detailed.
The Pulse
- The moon's temperature swings — from 212°F by day to minus 328°F at night — render standard lithium-ion batteries useless, threatening NASA's plans for sustained human presence at the lunar south pole.
- Liquid electrolytes, the core of conventional batteries, freeze solid, rupture, or evaporate entirely in the lunar vacuum, making them fundamentally incompatible with the environment astronauts must inhabit.
- NASA's SPEARS team has swapped liquid electrolytes for solid ceramic or polymer materials, and prototype cells have already survived the moon's extreme temperature swings without sustaining damage — a first.
- Because solid-state batteries don't require constant heating to stay functional, spacecraft and habitats can be built lighter, missions can run longer, and power can reach permanently shadowed craters where rovers and drills must operate.
- The technology is moving toward flight hardware at NASA's Ames Research Center, with commercial partnerships planned — positioning a lunar engineering solution to reshape batteries in cars, phones, drones, and beyond.
In the long human effort to extend our reach beyond Earth, the moon's brutal cold has posed a quiet but stubborn obstacle — one that strikes at something as familiar as a car that won't start on a winter morning. NASA researchers are now replacing the liquid heart of conventional batteries with solid materials, developing cells that can endure the lunar south pole's minus 328-degree nights without freezing, evaporating, or failing. The SPEARS project, born at Glenn Research Center and tested at Langley, represents not merely an engineering workaround but a rethinking of how we store and carry energy into the harshest places we dare to go.
Everyone knows the feeling of a car that won't start on a freezing morning. Batteries hate the cold — and that familiar frustration has become a serious obstacle for NASA's lunar ambitions. The south pole of the moon, where the agency plans to establish a sustained human presence, plunges to minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Standard lithium-ion batteries, which rely on liquid electrolytes, freeze solid in such conditions, potentially rupturing entirely. Heat them to the moon's daytime high of 212 degrees, and they won't function until they cool again. Expose them to the vacuum of space, and the liquid evaporates.
Researchers at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland have spent the past year building a solution. The project — Solid Power for Extreme Environment Adaptability and Resilience in Space, or SPEARS — replaces liquid electrolytes with solid ceramic or polymer compounds. The shift is simple in concept and significant in consequence. Principal investigator Donald Dornbusch puts it plainly: batteries are essential to modern life on Earth, and the moon will need them too, under conditions far harsher than anything we face here.
Testing at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia has confirmed what's possible. Prototype cells operated successfully across a range from 176°F down to minus 112°F, and survived the moon's full temperature swing without damage. Because the solid electrolyte doesn't freeze, the battery endures even when it's too cold to run — small heaters can then bring it to working temperature using far less energy than continuous thermal management would require.
The implications reach across the lunar surface: drills working in permanently shadowed craters, rovers exploring the moon's darkest regions, emergency power for astronauts, long-duration scientific instruments. The chemistry, notes testing lead Yi Lin, can be tuned for different demands — energy density, power output, or durability — just as earbuds and electric vehicles already use different battery formulations.
NASA's Ames Research Center is now developing flight hardware to prepare SPEARS batteries for actual spaceflight. Beyond the moon, the technology could reshape portable power on Earth — in automobiles, phones, drones, and communication devices. After the current development phase, NASA plans to pursue commercial partnerships. The extreme cold of the lunar south pole, it turns out, may prove to be the crucible in which the next generation of everyday batteries is forged.
Everyone knows the feeling: you turn the key on a freezing morning and the engine turns over reluctantly, or not at all. Batteries hate the cold. That simple fact has become an obstacle for NASA's ambitions on the moon. The lunar south pole, where the space agency plans to establish a sustained human presence, drops to minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Standard batteries—the lithium-ion cells that power your phone and laptop—simply cannot function in that environment. They rely on liquid electrolytes, which freeze solid in extreme cold, potentially rupturing the battery itself. Heat them up to the moon's daytime temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit, and they won't work until they cool down again. Expose them to the vacuum of space, and the liquid evaporates entirely.
NASA researchers at Glenn Research Center in Cleveland have spent the past year developing a solution. The project, called Solid Power for Extreme Environment Adaptability and Resilience in Space, or SPEARS, replaces the liquid electrolyte with a solid material made from ceramic or polymer compounds. The shift is elegant in its simplicity and profound in its implications. Donald Dornbusch, the principal investigator leading SPEARS, frames it plainly: batteries have become essential to modern life on Earth, powering everything from power tools to vehicles. The moon will need them too, and they will have to work reliably in conditions far harsher than anything on this planet.
Recent testing at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, has shown what's possible. Small prototype battery cells operated successfully at temperatures ranging from 176 degrees Fahrenheit down to minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit. Yi Lin, the testing and research lead for SPEARS at Langley, emphasized the significance: for the first time, these cells have been proven to function at minus 80 degrees Celsius. More importantly, the batteries survived exposure to the moon's extreme temperature swings—from 212 degrees Fahrenheit during the day to minus 274 degrees Fahrenheit at night—without sustaining damage. The solid electrolyte doesn't freeze like a liquid, so the battery survives even when it's too cold to operate. Small heaters can then warm the battery to working temperature when needed, a process that requires far less energy than maintaining constant thermal management systems.
The practical advantages ripple outward. Because solid-state batteries don't need to be kept warm continuously, spacecraft and lunar habitats can be designed lighter and more efficiently. Missions can run longer. The technology opens possibilities across the lunar surface: powering drills that must operate in permanently shadowed craters, rovers that explore the moon's darkest regions, emergency power systems for astronauts, and long-duration scientific instruments. Lin notes that the chemistry can be tuned for different applications—just as the battery chemistry in earbuds differs from that in a phone or car, all can function with a solid electrolyte. Engineers can optimize for energy density, power output, or durability depending on what the mission demands.
The SPEARS project, which began in 2026, is currently focused on technology development. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley is already working on flight hardware—test boards and electronics—to prepare these batteries for actual spaceflight and testing in space environments. But the ambitions extend beyond the moon. Solid-state battery technology could transform applications on Earth: automobiles, cell phones, communication devices, drones, anything requiring portable power. Ji Su, a polymer materials scientist and task lead at Langley, describes the potential market as very broad. The project itself evolved from earlier work on aeronautic applications, suggesting that the path from lunar engineering to everyday technology is well-worn. After the current development phase, NASA plans to explore commercial partnerships, moving the technology from the laboratory toward the marketplace. The extreme cold of the moon's south pole, it turns out, may be the proving ground for batteries that power life on Earth.
Notable Quotes
Batteries have become an important part of our lives here on Earth. We will need them on the moon, too, and these batteries will be required to operate reliably and safely in this harsh environment.— Donald Dornbusch, principal investigator for SPEARS at NASA's Glenn Research Center
We proved for the first time that these cells can work down to minus 80 degrees Celsius, and we're confident we can improve performance and maybe even expand that range in coming years.— Yi Lin, SPEARS testing and research lead at NASA Langley
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