Honda unit to provide fuel cell system to U.S. space firm for lunar testing

TOKYO — American Honda Motor Co. has agreed to provide its regenerative fuel cell system to U.S. space firm Astrobotic Technology Inc. for lunar testing, as the companies seek to support a prolonged human presence on the Moon, they said Monday.

Under the agreement, Honda’s system, designed to produce oxygen, hydrogen and electricity using solar energy and water, will be integrated into Astrobotic’s solar-powered system, in the hope of continuously providing power during the long lunar nights.

Honda’s fuel cell system can store solar power as hydrogen during lunar daylight and convert it to electricity during the lunar night, the period of darkness that lasts about 14 Earth days. The only byproduct of the fuel cell is water, which can be reused, they said.

Bobby Rolley, Astrobotic’s lunar power systems architect, said the partnership is a “major move” toward its vision of enabling “survival through the harsh lunar night and extending mission durations from days to years.”

Derek Adelman, chief engineer at American Honda Motor’s Space Development Division, said the collaboration “marks a pivotal step toward creating scalable power solutions for long-term lunar surface missions.”

Astrobotic, established in 2007 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, has been contracted for two lunar missions and is involved in the development of space exploration and related technologies, including rockets and their engines.

Honda Motor Co., which makes hydrogen-powered vehicles, established the Space Development Division at the American unit in late 2024 to promote technological development and enhance collaboration with the U.S. space industry.