Refuge Sphere Lunar Village: A Modular Superconducting Habitat Architecture for Permanent Lunar Bases and Beyond — Technical Design Document v1.0

Complete technical design document for the Refuge Sphere Lunar Village — a permanent lunar base architecture based on interconnected superconducting spherical modules providing exact B = 0 magnetic shielding (Meissner effect, REBCO tape) and E = 0 electrostatic shielding (Faraday cage). Phase 1: seven spherical modules (hub Ø5m + six peripherals Ø3–5m) deployed via seven Starship launches, base for 8–10 crew. Phase 2: large central hub Ø10m assembled in situ using commercial REBCO superconducting tape, expanding to 20–30 persons, total habitable volume ~735 m³, 8 total launches. Key advantages over NASA Artemis, ESA Moon Village, and toroidal shielding concepts: no excavation required; exact B = 0 (vs B ≈ 0 of toroids); lunar thermal cycle exploited as cryogenic asset; modular scalability; dual use as habitat and emergency shelter. Direct application to Mars surface bases — eliminates underground placement entirely. Includes mass budget, launch analysis, internal habitat design, cryogenic architecture, REBCO tape winding strategy, repair/maintenance concept, and comparison with existing concepts.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-04-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19920193
Primary Topic
Planetary Science and Exploration
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Refuge Sphere Lunar Village: A Modular Superconducting Habitat Architecture for Permanent Lunar Bases and Beyond — Technical Design Document v1.0

Enrico Titimali
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Planetary Science and Exploration
article

Refuge Sphere Lunar Village: A Modular Superconducting Habitat Architecture for Permanent Lunar Bases and Beyond — Technical Design Document v1.0

Enrico Titimali
article en

Abstract

Complete technical design document for the Refuge Sphere Lunar Village — a permanent lunar base architecture based on interconnected superconducting spherical modules providing exact B = 0 magnetic shielding (Meissner effect, REBCO tape) and E = 0 electrostatic shielding (Faraday cage). Phase 1: seven spherical modules (hub Ø5m + six peripherals Ø3–5m) deployed via seven Starship launches, base for 8–10 crew. Phase 2: large central hub Ø10m assembled in situ using commercial REBCO superconducting tape, expanding to 20–30 persons, total habitable volume ~735 m³, 8 total launches. Key advantages over NASA Artemis, ESA Moon Village, and toroidal shielding concepts: no excavation required; exact B = 0 (vs B ≈ 0 of toroids); lunar thermal cycle exploited as cryogenic asset; modular scalability; dual use as habitat and emergency shelter. Direct application to Mars surface bases — eliminates underground placement entirely. Includes mass budget, launch analysis, internal habitat design, cryogenic architecture, REBCO tape winding strategy, repair/maintenance concept, and comparison with existing concepts.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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Planetary Science and Exploration
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