Speaker
Description
Future lunar and Martian surface missions will increasingly rely on high-temperature processes for energy generation and in-situ resource utilization. Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOXE) stacks are particularly relevant in this context, but their operation at temperatures typically between 600 and 1000 °C creates a major thermal control challenge. Heat losses must be minimized to reduce power demand, while surrounding spacecraft elements must be protected from excessive temperatures. These requirements are especially demanding in low-pressure CO$_2$ environments and in vacuum.
The ESA-funded LIGHTS activity addresses this need by developing lightweight high-temperature insulation solutions applicable to both Martian and lunar surface missions. We present the current status of the activity, focusing on the material characterization campaign carried out to support the integration of insulation concepts into a SOXE breadboard demonstrator. The campaign investigated selected microporous insulation materials by measuring their steady-state thermal conductivity in air, low-pressure CO$_2$, low-pressure N$_2$, and vacuum. Their thermal cycling stability was also assessed up to 850 °C under the same environmental conditions. These tests were complemented by post-cycling thermal conductivity measurements, enabling the degradation of the microporous materials to be evaluated. In addition, the campaign assessed outgassing and contamination behavior, mechanical response under compression, manufacturability aspects such as shaping, encapsulation, and dust mitigation, and electrical insulation properties at high temperature.
The results provide an experimental basis for comparing candidate materials under representative operating environments and for consolidating the insulation architecture to be implemented in the next project phase. In particular, the campaign demonstrated the relevance of microporous insulation for lightweight high-temperature thermal performance.
Future work will focus on the manufacturing, integration, and testing of a thermally representative breadboard based on a dummy SOXE stack. The breadboard campaign will evaluate the insulation performance at system level, including heat-loss behavior, external-surface temperature, mechanical integration, and performance stability over time under representative environmental conditions.