VI
EN
According to Kyodo News on August 13, Japanese and Israeli startups have agreed to collaborate on a project to test the creation of oxygen on the Moon, a technology that is expected to help astronauts undertake long-term missions on the Moon without relying on oxygen support from Earth.
According to the project, the Israeli company Helios Project Ltd. will conduct experiments to extract oxygen by melting lunar soil at high temperatures and electrolyzing it. Meanwhile, the Japanese company Ispace Inc. will provide the equipment for these experiments, which are expected to take place from 2023-2025.
According to the British Institute of Physics, lunar soil contains 42% oxygen, and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully tested a technique to extract oxygen from lunar soil.
Helios CEO Jonathan Geifman said that extracting oxygen and creating breathable gas for humans is crucial to ensuring humanity can sustain long-duration missions on the Moon. The agreement between Helios and Ispace marks the first collaboration between private Israeli and Japanese companies in the field of space development.
Helios has been developing a reactor capable of processing lunar soil to extract oxygen and metals such as iron and aluminum. A reactor for processing soil on Mars is also being researched and developed by the Israeli company.
Helios estimates that one ton of lunar soil could yield approximately 250 kg of oxygen. If successful, the project could ensure sustained life for human settlements on this natural satellite.
