In-situ Resource Utilisation
In-situ resource utilization
Research in the field of in-situ resource utilization technologies (ISRU) is led by the Synergetic Material Utilization (SMU) junior research group founded in 2021. The group focuses on the development of technologies for ISRU on the Moon and Mars and creates synergies between ISRU and life support systems (ECLSS). The group currently consists of two research assistants and two PhD students under the leadership of Dr. Paul Zabel. The group's main research areas focus on planetary regolith processing, lunar water harvesting and consumables production, and a joint ISRU-ECLSS infrastructure. The regolith processing project aims to develop a prototype for processing lunar and Martian regolith to produce a feedstock with the desired composition for further ISRU activities such as on-site additive manufacturing, oxygen and metals extraction, etc. The lunar water extraction project aims to develop a prototype for the extraction of water from the icy regolith on the lunar surface and to investigate the post-processing steps required for effective utilization. The joint ISRU-ECLSS infrastructure will collaborate with the water extraction project to gain further insight into the water-oxygen-hydrogen infrastructure for a future space habitat. Overall, the group is focused on developing these areas of research to create a TRL 4 or 5 prototype that can serve as a precursor to future flight capabilities.
Water extraction
The project for water extraction on the moon was started at the very beginning of the research group. The initial focus was on a comprehensive systems engineering assessment of the various methods for extracting water from the icy lunar regolith. The consideration led to the choice of thermal extraction of the water using heating rods and a customized mechanism for efficient heat dissipation into the regolith. In addition to the experimental analysis, the system was modeled and simulated for the different operating conditions to ensure the validity of the planned design. A test campaign for the prototype is currently underway, the results of which should provide additional insights into the interactions between water ice, regolith and heat under lunar conditions, as well as how the resulting water vapor can be captured.
Regolith processing
Research into regolith beneficiation began as a solution to the existing technological gap identified in the ISRU Gap Assessment Report published by the International Space Exploration Coordination Group in 2021. The process aims to refine and process the regolith to produce a feedstock enriched with the desired composition, which can increase the efficiency of utilization technologies such as oxygen or metals extraction, additive manufacturing, glass production, etc. An initial hypothesis about the interaction of regolith with different processing techniques led to the development of a processing test system. This system was subjected to a trial campaign to optimize its performance in order to produce an ilmenite-enriched feedstock that can be reused for the production of oxygen. The test rig delivered positive results, so research is now focused on developing a payload for beneficiation and proving the feasibility of the system on a smaller scale to increase the overall efficiency of extraction.
Contact
Dr. Oliver Romberg