A reactor that converts moon dust into oxygen is almost ready for space travel

A high-tech reactor that can extract oxygen from moon dust has successfully passed a round of testing bringing it a step closer to being sent into space. 

The concept for the Carbothermal Oxygen Production Reactor sounds a bit like something you’d read in a science-fiction novel. 

But its creators Sierra Space are working closely with NASA to turn science fiction into reality. 

In the latest move, the reactor has passed thermal vacuum testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. 

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The reactor is able to extract oxygen from lunar dust

NASA is currently working away on plans to establish a long-term presence on the moon – and recently unveiled its Valkyrie humanoid robot that will help achieve that goal. 

Meanwhile, Sierra Space has been working away on a reactor that is able to turn lunar dust into breathable oxygen. Clever stuff, right? 

Recent testing of the Carbothermal Oxygen Production Reactor was the ‘first time in history that oxygen has been extracted from simulated lunar soil, or regolith, using an automated, standalone system in a lunar environment’. 

The company went on to say that when the tech is scaled up it will be used to bulk produce oxygen to support one of the main objects of NASA’s Artemis program: establishing the first long-term presence on the moon.

“The Apollo program took us to the moon to study and learn. Artemis is taking us back to the moon, this time to stay,” said Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space. 

“Our company is focused on building the infrastructure necessary to enable continuous human presence on the lunar surface. This sustainable future begins with developing the core technology and systems that create oxygen in that environment, using local natural resources.”

NASA hopes to establish a ‘long-term presence’ on the moon

Engineers spent two months testing the oxygen extraction system inside a special thermal vacuum chamber that was able to accurately simulate the condition found on the moon. 

This included putting the reactor through a huge range of temperatures, from minus -45 degrees Celsius to 1,800 degrees Celsius. 

The successful testing is a huge leap forward on the mission to enabling the long-term human habitation on the moon. 

“By harnessing the natural resources found on the moon, we reduce our reliance on Earth-based supplies and open up new frontiers for space exploration and commercialization,” Vice added. 

“With our breakthrough technology that can provide a reliable source of oxygen in-situ, Sierra Space is poised to play a potential role in NASA’s Artemis program and other initiatives aimed at establishing a permanent human presence on the lunar surface.”