Politecnico di Milano and OHB Italia have conducted a series of experiments confirming the possibility of producing water on the Moon’s surface using a chemical/physical process that extracts oxygen from regolith (lunar soil).
The tests form part of the mission to demonstrate In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) on the Moon, a project developed and financed by ESA, the European Space Agency, with the significant contribution of ASI, the Italian Space Agency, for which OHB Italia serves as Prime Contractor. This long-term programme for Man’s colonisation of the Moon involves the on-site use of lunar resources.
The research group, led by Professor Michèle Lavagna, uses a prototype system built and installed in the laboratories of the Department of Aerospace Sciences and Technologies of the Politecnico, drawing on the different skills available at the University and on the system capabilities of OHB Italia.
By feeding the system sand that simulates the polar lunar soil, it has been possible to produce the expected amount of water, extracting oxygen from the oxides present in the minerals that make up the soil of our satellite.
The ability to produce water on site, and therefore oxygen and hydrogen, represents a key step for the next human missions on our satellite, as these are fundamental elements for supporting the life of a crew for prolonged periods of time. This production capacity, moreover, frees future lunar bases from the use of open-loop systems that require continuous supply from Earth, thus simplifying logistics and reducing costs related to the transport of materials.
