NASA plans to convert lunar regolith into oxygen

NASA plans to convert lunar regolith into oxygen
NASA plans to convert lunar regolith into oxygen
Anonim

Preparations for the ambitious Artemis lunar return program are in full swing. Under the government's SBIR program, NASA has allocated significant funds to Pioneer Astronautics, which claims it can collect lunar regolith and convert it into usable oxygen right on the satellite.

Pioneer Astronautics is one of four companies to receive funding. It will share the total of $ 17 million with three other firms that the space agency believes will contribute immensely to the Artemis mission.

So what is the idea behind the company? Pioneer Astronautics are going to collect loose soil on the moon and extract oxygen from it. It sounds absolutely incredible, but it makes a certain sense. The thing is that the company intends to collect regolith, which can be located at a depth of 15 meters, which means that some gases, including oxygen, can get trapped during collection.

Pioneer Astronautics' plan to extract and use this oxygen is technically complex, which is why the company needs serious funding, which they received. By the way, this is not the first collaboration between the company and the space agency. Since 2006, Pioneer Astronautics has won funding from NASA several times.

Recall that the Artemis program, for which these capabilities are being developed, should not only launch people to the Moon (man and woman) again, but also become a step towards creating an inhabited settlement on a satellite, and an important step towards the development of Mars.

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