Lunar Resources Inc to Develop and Construct Flight-ready Lunar Resource Extraction Reactor NLT 2024
Houston, TX-based Lunar Resources Inc receives 9th SBIR award (US$1M), bringing total NSF-supported funding to $3M+ for space initiatives including ISRU on Moon; Reactor for resource extraction is to utilize 1,600°C Molten Regolith Electrolysis process to separate metals (Al, Fe, Mg, Si) and oxygen, main constituents of lunar regolith; Habitat construction, oxygen for breathing / propulsion, and power generation via silicon photovoltaic cells are use cases for ISRU; CEO Elliot Carol tells Ars Technica, “Resource extraction is necessary for the United States to create a permanent presence on the Moon”