One small step for man, one giant leap for humanity: Scientists have found a way to turn the moon’s dusty surface into a reliable source of water. Researchers in China have developed a novel method to extract large quantities of water from lunar soil, potentially paving the way for a sustainable human presence on the moon. This innovative process uses lunar regolith, the dusty surface material, and could extract over 50 kg of water from just one ton of lunar soil.
Exploiting the Moon’s water potential
Water is essential for sustaining life and will therefore play a crucial role in future lunar missions. While previous missions such as Apollo and Chang’e-5 have confirmed the existence of water on the lunar surface, it is not the water we know – it is usually in the form of hydroxyl compounds (OH) or ice mixed with regolith in permanently shadowed regions. Only 0.0001 to 0.02 percent of water by weight can be extracted from these compounds.
Now a team led by Professor Junqiang Wang at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a novel approach. By reacting lunar regolith – a mixture of fine dust and broken rock on the lunar surface – with hydrogen, they discovered a method of producing water in larger quantities than previously possible.
This process involves heating lunar regolith with concentrated sunlight to extremely high temperatures of over 1200 Kelvin (about 930 °C or 1700 °F). This triggers a chemical reaction between the regolith and the trapped hydrogen, releasing water vapor that can then be collected. The lunar soil was returned to Earth by the Chang’e-5 mission in 2020.
About 51 to 71 milligrams of water can be extracted per gram of molten regolith. This process could yield over 50 kilograms of water per ton of lunar soil, enough to meet the daily drinking water needs of 50 people. The researchers found that lunar ilmenite (FeTiO3), a particular mineral in the regolith, contains the highest concentration of hydrogen due to its unique structure.
Impact on lunar settlements
Finding and producing water is not just a way to quench thirst. The water obtained can also be used to grow plants, which is crucial for long-term space missions with the goal of self-sufficiency. In addition, water can be electrochemically split into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen could provide astronauts with breathable air, while the hydrogen could serve as an energy source or be used to produce rocket fuel.
The discovery comes at a crucial time, as both China and Roscosmos (Russia’s space agency) plan to build the International Lunar Research Station (ILRSP) in the south polar region of the Moon by 2040. This new method of on-site water production could significantly reduce the logistical challenges of transporting water from Earth, which is extremely costly and time-consuming. Unlike the International Space Station, which can be resupplied relatively quickly, resupply missions to the Moon would take several days, making use of on-site resources essential.
Although the method is promising, there are still some challenges to overcome. This method can only work during lunar days in the southern polar region due to the amount of available sunlight. The lunar day lasts about two weeks. During the lunar night, which is another two weeks, there is no sunlight to drive the reaction. Researchers propose to solve this problem by using a network of solar mirrors or satellites to direct sunlight to the processing plants, but this all sounds extremely complicated.
In addition, the efficiency of the method could vary depending on the composition of the lunar soil at different locations. Future missions, including China’s planned Chang’e-6 mission, will continue to collect samples from different parts of the Moon to test the feasibility of this method in different regions.
There are few suitable locations for a lunar settlement and these limitations would further limit our options. In addition, further research is needed to optimize energy requirements and understand the long-term viability of this method.
Still, it’s an exciting achievement. As space agencies around the world seek to establish permanent bases and research stations, the ability to produce water locally will be a critical factor in reducing costs and making long-term lunar exploration more feasible.
The results were published in the journal The innovation.
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