Design of a Foldable Laser-Based Energy Transmission System for a Mini Lunar Rover

The Lunar far side is a relatively untouched landmass that constitutes a very distinctive scientific arena. Even though there are many interesting particulars on the far side, finding sufficient evidence of usable water ice near a potential future human outpost or colony has always been a priority on the Moon. however, most of the potential ice-present zones are in permanently shaded regions. Therefore, all the traditional energy storage and transmission system cannot be used. In this study, a novel laser-based energy transmission system has been built to capture the solar energy by the lander positioned on the rim of the crater which will be converted to laser energy to be transmitted to the rover inside the permanently shadowed regions inside the crater. A foldable laser receiving dish will collect the laser energy and store it in the batteries for the working of the rover. The results indicate that a total of 450 W can be transmitted to the Rover at 20 Kilometres which is fitted with a Gallium Aluminium Arsenide solar array with a diameter of 1.1 meters.