Shafaqna English- A revolutionary solar-powered technology has stunned scientists by extracting water from Moon soil and converting astronaut CO₂ into oxygen and fuel — a game-changing step toward long-term lunar habitation, according to SciTechDaily.
In a ground-breaking study published on July 16 in “Joule”, researchers unveiled a dual-purpose system that could transform how astronauts survive on the Moon. By leveraging lunar soil, or regolith, the technology extracts water and simultaneously converts carbon dioxide exhaled by astronauts into breathable oxygen and fuel components using sunlight.
“We never fully imagined the ‘magic’ that the lunar soil possessed,” said lead author Lu Wang from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. The team’s integrated method combines water extraction and photothermal CO₂ conversion in one step — an advance that could reduce costs and infrastructure demands for future space missions.
The high cost of transporting essentials like water — about $83,000 per gallon — has long limited long-term lunar exploration. But findings from China’s Chang’E-5 mission have confirmed that Moon soil contains usable water. This breakthrough suggests that astronauts could harness local resources rather than rely on costly Earth-based supply chains.
Using ilmenite, a mineral abundant in lunar soil, the researchers successfully tested their device with both real and simulated samples. While promising, challenges remain: harsh lunar conditions, inconsistent soil composition, and technological limitations mean further innovation is needed before full deployment.
Still, the technology marks a significant step toward self-sustaining lunar bases and, potentially, deeper space exploration. As Wang notes, “Overcoming these technical hurdles… will be crucial to realizing sustainable lunar water utilization and space exploration.”
Source: SciTechDaily