NASA has detailed the SPEARS (Solid Power for Extreme Environment Adaptability and Resilience in Space) program.
The project replaces liquid-based electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries—which freeze at lunar temperatures—with solid ceramic or polymer materials.
This architecture allows hardware to operate in environments ranging from -200°C to 100°C, supporting future Artemis missions with the potential for long-term terrestrial applications in extreme-environment computing.
Why do we need new batteries?
The batteries we use in our everyday devices today are based on liquid cells. This type of battery faces problems when temperatures are very low, as the liquid can freeze. On the moon, conditions are extremely harsh: during the day the temperature can reach 100 degrees Celsius, while at the south pole at night it can drop to -200 degrees.
How SPEARS technology works
The name SPEARS comes from the initials of the words for solid power and adaptability to extreme environments in space. Instead of liquids, the new batteries use solid ceramic or polymer materials. The main advantage of this technology is that the batteries are not damaged by extreme cold.
Although the research is focused on supporting missions to the Moon, NASA says this technology could also be used in devices here on Earth in the future.
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