About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Materials Research in Reduced Gravity
|
| Presentation Title |
Producing Oxygen and Metals on the Moon on an Industrial Scale with ROXY: What it Takes and Why It Is Worth It |
| Author(s) |
Tehya Birch, Achim Seidel, Emanuele Monchieri, Martin Altenburg, Clara Sophie Offenhaeusser, Clara Lieblein, Georg Poehle, Christian Redlich, Uday Pal, Markus Schatz, Elias Auer, Max Propst, Sascha Maass, Fabian Spraul |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Achim Seidel |
| Abstract Scope |
The lunar ROXY pilot plant addresses the increasing demand for oxygen on the Moon for life support and propellant production. The design focuses on maximizing oxygen yield while minimizing transportation costs, consumable mass, and power consumption. ROXY employs molten salt electrolysis with yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based solid oxide membranes to extract oxygen and metals from lunar regolith efficiently. This process offers high resource conversion efficiency and compatibility with the lunar vacuum. A design study investigated the molten salt reactor, electrochemical cell, thermal architecture, and robotics concept. The pilot plant, with a mass of one ton, is designed to produce one ton of pure oxygen and an equivalent mass of metals annually. It features self-heating capabilities and generates excess heat, demonstrating technical and economic feasibility under lunar conditions. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |