Unlocking Lunar Energy: The Power Needed to Transform the Moon into a Fuel Depot

To create fuel, we first need a reliable source, and water is a key player. It can be split into hydrogen and oxygen. Scientists have confirmed that water exists on the Moon, but we still don’t know how much or where it’s concentrated. This uncertainty has led researchers to explore other options available on the lunar surface.

One of the most common materials on the Moon is regolith. This is the layer of dust and small rocks formed by countless tiny impacts over time. Regolith is rich in various minerals, many of which contain oxygen. Scientists have been working on methods to extract that oxygen, which is crucial for rocket fuel.

Understanding the chemistry is just the first step. The real challenge is figuring out how to build the right infrastructure to carry out this process on a large scale. Researchers focused on a mineral called ilmenite, known as FeTiO₃. While there are easier ways to get oxygen, ilmenite is well understood and has been researched for decades. In fact, a method for producing oxygen from ilmenite was patented back in the 1970s, and there’s even a prototype that might be sent to the Moon in a NASA mission.

The proposed process involves collecting regolith, partially refining the ilmenite, and then heating it with hydrogen. This combination strips away the oxygen, producing water while leaving behind iron and titanium, both of which could be valuable. The produced water can be split again to recycle the hydrogen, while the oxygen is kept for rocket fuel.