In a groundbreaking move for lunar exploration, Jeff Bezos' aerospace company, Blue Origin, has revealed an ambitious plan to use the Moon's own soil as a power source for its operations. The company, a key rival to Elon Musk's SpaceX, introduced an innovative device at the recent Amazon ReInvent 2025 conference in Las Vegas.
The Lunar Vacuum: Turning Regolith into a Battery
The newly unveiled device functions like a sophisticated lunar vacuum cleaner. Developed using core technology from the startup Istari Digital, it is designed to suck up moon dust—known as regolith—and extract heat from it. This process effectively transforms the dust into a battery-like energy source.
Will Roper, CEO of Istari Digital, explained the mechanism in simple terms to CNBC. He compared it to vacuuming at home, but with the added benefit of generating electricity during the process. "So what it does is sucks up moon dust and it extracts the heat from it so it can be used as an energy source, like turning moon dust into a battery," Roper stated.
Solving the Critical Challenge of the Lunar Night
This technology addresses one of the most significant hurdles for sustained lunar missions: the two-week-long lunar night. This period occurs every 28 days when the Moon's surface is plunged into darkness and experiences extreme temperature drops.
Without a robust and long-lasting power supply, spacecraft hardware on the lunar surface is typically damaged or disabled during this harsh phase. The moon dust battery aims to provide a reliable, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) solution, allowing equipment to survive and operate through the entire lunar cycle.
AI at the Core of Design and Development
A fascinating aspect of this project is the central role played by Artificial Intelligence in its creation. Will Roper, who previously served as the assistant secretary of the Air Force during President Donald Trump's first term, confirmed that the battery was designed entirely using AI.
Roper is known for his work in transforming how the U.S. Air Force and Space Force acquire and develop new equipment. A critical achievement of Istari's platform is its ability to control and minimize AI "hallucinations"—instances where AI generates false or misleading information.
Roper described their method as creating a "fence around the playground" for the AI. The platform inputs all the necessary requirements and standards for a part, setting boundaries the AI cannot cross while generating designs. "Within that playground, AI can generate to its heart's content," he said. For the Blue Origin moon battery, the AI ensured all operational requirements and standards were met before moving forward.
Istari Digital is financially backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and maintains partnerships with the U.S. government. The startup has also served as the primary contractor for Lockheed Martin on the experimental X-56A unmanned aircraft program, showcasing its expertise in advanced aerospace technology.
This announcement marks a significant step in the new space race, highlighting a shift towards using local extraterrestrial resources to enable long-term human presence on the Moon. By leveraging AI for design and moon dust for power, Blue Origin is charting a potentially more sustainable and independent path for future lunar settlements.
