Dust-Tolerant Resonant Connectors for Extreme Environments

There are numerous challenges developing reliable and long-lasting charging infrastructures for electronic devices on the Moon and Mars because of the extremely harsh environmental conditions. According to the 2024 NASA Phase I subtopic Z13.05 Components for Extreme Environments, there is a current need for dust-tolerant electrical connectors that can function with light dust coating on lunar and Mars surfaces. This is especially important for critical interface connections to umbilical and transmission line products to enable a continuous human presence and operations on the Moon. When lunar regolith accumulates at the conductive terminals of state-of-the-art (SOA) connectors, it is extremely difficult to reverse and can be a single point of failure for a powering system because of regolith’s strong insulating properties. In the Phase I development, Yank Technologies successfully designed, fabricated, and verified a Resonant Connector system that can deliver over 500W of power even with the accumulation of lunar regolith simulants within and around the connector enclosure. The purpose of this Phase II R&D effort is to advance the Resonant Connector system to operate for extreme lunar environments. Specifically, we will further advance the Resonant Connector system to meet many TRL 6 requirements to better prepare the system for future NASA lunar missions. This includes optimizing the system for Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP), integrating safety and indication controls, incorporating space-grade components and materials, and conducting applicable reliability and environmental testing, such as thermal vacuum, vibration, and shock testing.