China is working on a way to extract oxygen from the moon’s surface

Experiments were carried out using a small reactor during one of China’s lunar missions
Researcher also unveils design of a solar-powered device to release oxygen from lunar soil

China's space programme

Liu Zhen

Published: 12:30pm, 20 Oct 2021

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Chinese researchers are working on a way to extract oxygen from lunar soil that they hope will be used to sustain humans on the moon in the future.

A team from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation carried out experiments to do this using a small reactor during a previous lunar mission, which researcher Guo Linli said had “made some progress”. She did not say if it was the Chang’e 5 mission in December.

Guo told a space conference in Shenzhen on Monday that there was a need to find oxygen on the moon “as soon as possible” to support China’s plan to build a research station there.

China and Russia announced in March that they would jointly establish a lunar base, with at least five structures slated for completion by 2035.

Guo on Monday said oxygen could be extracted from lunar soil – which is rich in titanium-iron oxide and ferrous oxide – by heating it to high temperatures of up to 2,500 degrees Celsius (4,500 Fahrenheit). That causes the ions to break down and gaseous oxygen to be released.

She said it was a highly efficient method that could produce up to 30kg of oxygen from 100kg of soil, though the high temperatures were a safety concern. As well as oxygen, the process could also produce other useful materials including high-purity silicon – used for semiconductors – and metals such as iron and titanium.

The researchers plan to eventually put this process to the test using a fully automated device, powered by solar panels. According to a design Guo presented at the conference, the solar panels would unfold after it was deployed and robotic arms would be used to collect and filter the lunar soil and load it into the reactor, where the oxygen and other by-products would be extracted.

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China’s Chang’e 5 lunar mission returns to Earth with moon samples

China’s lunar exploration programme – named after the mythical moon goddess Chang’e – is part of Beijing’s ambition to take the lead in a new international space race. Last week it sent a second crew of astronauts to continue work on its new space station.

Recent lunar missions include landing a rover on the far side of the moon in 2019, and in December bringing rock samples back to Earth for the first time in 44 years, making China the third country to do so after the United States and the Soviet Union.

Next, China wants to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, and to set up the joint scientific base with Russia. The China National Space Administration and its Russian counterpart Roscosmos have invited other countries to join the programme, and preliminary exploration missions are expected to begin this year, with construction to start as early as 2025.

Neither China nor Russia has signed the US-led Artemis Accords, established in October last year to set rules of behaviour on the moon – allowing countries or companies to create “safety zones” while extracting resources – in recognition that all parties will be intent on going to the lunar south pole, where water in the form of ice is known to exist.