Alongside breakthroughs that could enable interstellar travel, scientists are also focused on optimizing resources for living on alien worlds. One of the biggest efforts is figuring out how to extract oxygen from the Moon’s surface.
Back in October, the Australian Space Agency (ASA) and NASA signed a collaboration agreement to bring the Artemis project to life. They plan to send landers to the Moon to collect rock samples, tapping into the abundant but untapped oxygen locked in lunar soil.
The Moon does have a thin atmosphere, but it’s mostly hydrogen, neon, and argon. This mix can’t support complex life forms like mammals.
However, the Moon is rich in oxygen, just not in gas form. Oxygen is trapped in the regolith, the layer of rock and fine dust covering the lunar surface. If we can extract oxygen from this soil, the potential to support life on this barren world could skyrocket.
Oxygen is found in many materials around us. The Moon’s main components are similar to what you see under your feet here on Earth. Minerals like silica, aluminum, iron, and magnesium oxides are abundant on the lunar surface, all containing oxygen, just not in a form breathable by lungs.
These minerals exist as solid rocks, small stones, fine dust, and gravel on the Moon’s surface. This is the result of countless impacts from space debris over time.
Many researchers avoid calling the Moon’s surface material “soil” because Earth soil forms over millions of years through microbial activity breaking down organic matter. Earth soil is a complex network of minerals unlike the original rock structure.
Earth soil has unique chemical and biological properties, while the Moon’s surface material is mostly raw regolith in its original state.
Extracting Oxygen from Rock
Lunar regolith contains up to 45% oxygen by weight, but the oxygen molecules are tightly bound to minerals. Breaking these strong bonds requires energy input, which is where electrolysis comes in.
Electrolyzing lunar soil produces oxygen as the main output, with metals like aluminum as byproducts. Scientists aim to use every material produced during this process without waste.
Although electrolysis is straightforward, it demands a lot of energy. To power this on the Moon, we’ll need solar energy or other potential energy sources available there.
The footprints left on the Moon’s surface tell a story of history.
This oxygen production line will also require large industrial machines. While the technology exists on Earth, the challenge lies in transporting and powering these systems on the Moon reliably.
Earlier this year, Belgian startup Space Applications Services announced plans to assemble three electrolysis reactors on the Moon, aiming to test the technology by 2025.
How Much Oxygen Can the Moon Produce?
Estimates show the Moon’s regolith holds massive oxygen reserves. Each cubic meter contains about 1.4 tons of minerals, including 630 kilograms of oxygen. NASA estimates a person needs 800 grams of oxygen daily to survive, so 630 kilograms could support one person for over two years.
If the regolith is about 10 meters thick and we can extract all the oxygen, the Moon’s crust could supply enough oxygen for 8 billion people for 100,000 years. Of course, this depends on extraction efficiency and how much regolith we can process, but even half that amount would allow humans to build a thriving lunar base for millennia.
The Moon will be a launchpad for humanity to reach other planets in the solar system and beyond, marking the first step toward exploring deep space.
Source: The Conversation
