Power System Controller
Autonomous Power Source Selection and Load Management Computer
The Power System Controller, formally designated the Autonomous Power Source Selection and Load Management Computer, is a radiation-hardened electronic unit that coordinates power generation, storage, and distribution across all settlement infrastructure. Built around a triple modular redundancy processor architecture with non-volatile MRAM and watchdog timers, it executes real-time budget accounting and priority routing across primary nuclear, supplemental solar, and emergency RTG supplies. The controller must sustain uninterrupted autonomous operation for 100 years without maintenance, executing predictive scheduling up to 14 days in advance to navigate lunar day-night cycles while strictly protecting cryogenic preservation loads from load shedding as hardware degrades.
Central controller coordinating all power sources, converters, and load management
Purpose
Autonomously manage power generation, storage, and distribution across all Ark systems
Context
Child of L2-PWR-MGMT within the Lunar Ark power generation system
Principles
- ▸Priority-based source selection: Nuclear (primary) → Solar (supplement) → RTG (emergency)
- ▸Load shedding algorithms progressively disconnect non-essential loads during power deficit
- ▸Power budget accounting tracks generation vs consumption in real-time
- ▸TMR (Triple Modular Redundancy) processor architecture for fault tolerance
Typical implementations
- ▸ISS EPCE (Electrical Power Control Element) for space station power management
- ▸Spacecraft power management units (heritage from GEO satellites)
- ▸Microchip SAMRH71 rad-hard ARM Cortex-M7 for power control applications
- ▸BAE RAD5545 VME processor for autonomous power management
Lunar considerations
- ▸Must operate autonomously for 100 years without human power management
- ▸Lunar day/night cycling requires predictive power scheduling 14 days ahead
- ▸Must handle graceful degradation as power sources age and degrade
- ▸Critical preservation loads (cryo) must never be shed except in extreme emergency
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Central controller coordinating all power sources, converters, and load management |
Physical
| materials | Rad-hard processor, MRAM non-volatile memory, Analog I/O interfaces, Watchdog timer |
Interfaces
Provides
- Source selection and converter enable commands
- Load priority tables and shedding commands
Requires
- System state and power demand forecasts
- Real-time power system telemetry
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Power System Controller" (L3-PWR-MGMT-CTRL). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L3-PWR-MGMT-CTRL
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.