Three companies - Masten Space Systems, Lunar Outpost and Honeybee Robotics - are developing a new system that will use
It is believed that there is water ice in the polarregions of the moon, especially in the permanently shaded areas of some craters. Extraction of this resource is critical to ensuring the continued presence of humans on Earth's satellite, according to NASA officials and proponents of lunar exploration. For example, water ice can be broken down into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen, the main components of rocket fuel.
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To spur the development of mining technologiesresources on the Moon, NASA organized a competition called Break the Ice Lunar Challenge. During it, up to $500 thousand will be allocated to the most promising resource extraction concepts. The winners will be announced on August 13th.
Masten-Lunar Outpost-Honeybee Robotics Teampresented a rocket engine attached to a rover weighing 818 kilograms. When the rover reaches a suitable ice-covered location, the domed motor will turn around and start, collecting the moon's dirt and gravel into a vacuum device that will separate and store the water ice particles.
“According to forecasts, the system will be able to develop up to 12craters per day and produce about 100 kg of ice per crater, - wrote the representatives of the company Masten in the description of the project. “This will allow us to extract more than 420 thousand kg of lunar water per year!”
Ice can be used to fuel rockets, whichwill allow devices to operate on the surface for more than five years. If NASA funds the Rocket Mining System, it will go to the Earth's satellite with the Masten device. The company's first flight to the lunar surface using the XL-1 lunar lander is scheduled for 2023.
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