SBIR Phase I: Protoflight Design and Validation of Molten Regolith Electrolysis Facility For Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project will be to advance space industrialization, exploration and colonization. The Moon has mineral deposits in its soil, and extraction is difficult. The proposed project will advance the analysis of the potential to extract breathable oxygen, metallurgical grade metals, and semiconductor quality silicon. This analysis extends the understanding of ultra-efficient processes for refining materials, particularly toward advanced operations in space. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to advance the translation of molten regolith electrolysis to refine lunar soil. The proposed project will: determine the operating conditions allowing uninterruptible electrolysis, develop preliminary designs of a molten regolith electrolysis facility, and conduct computer models of a system to refine lunar regolith in the lunar environment. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.