Lunar oxygen extraction
A furnace process that melts Moon soil and splits out oxygen, leaving metals behind, for breathing air and rocket propellant on the Moon.
Why it matters
Oxygen is needed for crews to breathe and makes up most of the mass of common rocket propellants. Producing it from local soil could cut how much has to be launched from Earth for a lasting Moon presence.
How the technology works
Regolith is heated in a high-temperature reactor and electrolyzed, freeing oxygen and leaving metals. Helios tested with Moon soil simulant under simulated vacuum and temperature swings, and adapted the same process to make iron from iron ore without carbon.
Sources
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · How we source facts · Suggest a correction