Oxygen Farming on the Moon

ISRU activities for Oxygen Extraction from Lunar Dust

Oxygen gas (O₂) is vital for human operations on the Moon, whether for short-term mission-based activities or long-term permanent presence. Astronauts need it for respiration, while machines can use it as fuel or for material processing. 

We have developed technology to extract significant amounts of oxygen directly from Lunar dust, without consuming energy.

Measurements using our ultra-high fidelity Lunar dust simulants demonstrate that processing just the upper centimetre of an area similar to a large football stadium could produce enough oxygen to support the respiration of six astronauts performing extravehicular activities (EVAs) for 24 Earth hours! This increases the mobility of the astronauts, when personal robotic systems are tethered to the respiration system of an astronaut through a tube.

This method eliminates the need for large-scale excavation or heavy mining equipment, minimises disturbance of the Lunar surface, and achieves terraforming. What is more, the processed dust can be left in place, where it is naturally reactivated by the cosmic radiation, enabling repeated oxygen production, hence the concept of “oxygen farming”.

Discover more in ESA’s article “Moon and Mars superoxides for oxygen farming“.