Thanks to ‘melted topsoil electrolysis’

ㆍ‘Helios’, an Israel aerospace technology startup, has developed a groundbreaking method for extracting oxygen from the moon.

ㆍThis technology is a green chemical process that separates oxygen and iron from iron ore on the lunar surface.

ㆍThe ongoing human quest to explore oxygen, water, and beyond for constructing a lunar base continues.

Will humans live on the moon forever?

At least with oxygen, you can! Helios has developed a new method for producing oxygen from the moon’s regolith, the layer of rock covering its surface. The company’s proprietary technology extracts oxygen from “lunar topsoil,” which is a combination of powdery dust and broken rock on the moon’s surface. In simple terms, it’s a process for separating iron and oxygen from metals (like iron ore) for use on the moon.

If humans are to live on the Moon in the future, oxygen is essential not only for human breathing but also for transporting all the fuel and other resources from Earth. For example, SpaceX’s spacecraft weighs about 1200 tons when fully loaded, and almost 850 tons of that weight is oxygen. However, it’s only a matter of time before it runs out of oxygen. How much oxygen would be needed to transport goods from Earth to the lunar surface? Helios has found the answer, producing tens of thousands of tons of oxygen on a new, non-Earth planet.

Clean oxygen and Green steel

Helios extracts oxygen and iron by melting lunar soil and electrolyzing iron ore. To do this, it has developed an electrochemical reactor. Surprisingly, the process is environmentally friendly. Iron ore is usually found in the form of iron oxide. Currently on Earth, the simplest way to separate oxygen and iron from iron oxide is to use carbon, which creates pollution. Iron oxide reacts with carbon, separating it from oxygen and creating pure iron. This means that reducing iron ore to carbon releases a lot of carbon dioxide. (For every ton of steel produced, about two tons of carbon dioxide are emitted.)

Scientists at Helios have developed a technology to create ‘green steel’, which enables them to extract 99% pure iron from iron ore while using significantly less energy compared to traditional iron production methods on Earth. The process operates at temperatures as low as those in a home oven. Additionally, during the melting and electrolysis of lunar soil, oxygen is extracted and stored. Byproduct metals obtained in the process will be used to construct future lunar infrastructure. Helios will collaborate with Eta Space in Florida, USA, to construct a facility for liquefying and storing the oxygen generated by the reactor in cryogenic tanks.

Ticket to the moon

Since the Apollo Missions in 1972, humans have been striving to set foot on the moon. In about two years, this goal may become a reality. NASA has recently presented three missions to the astronauts of the Artemis 3 mission, which is scheduled to land on the moon in 2026. The objective is to mine the moon for mineral resources and establish a launch site for spacecraft destined for the distant celestial body.

1. Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA): This device uses electric fields to search for ice on the lunar surface. If ice is present, it could be used for drinking water or as a rocket oxidizer, eliminating the need to transport water from Earth.

2. Lunar Effects on Agricultural Plants (LEAF): The Moon’s surface gravity is one-sixth of Earth’s, and it has no atmosphere or magnetic field, so it is bombarded with cosmic rays. It is used to assess whether crops can grow stress-free and undergo photosynthesis.

3. Lunar Environmental Monitoring Station (LEMS): A type of seismometer is used to analyze seismic waves and learn about the internal structure of the lunar soil. Astronauts will study the crust and mantle at the lunar south pole.

But we should remember that moon tickets do not come with oxygen. Helios explains that their mission is to find a new planet where future humans can “breathe.” Let’s look forward to the day when we will be able to breathe oxygen on the moon without needing a respirator.