NEWS

 JAXA and JGC Corporation held an online ceremony on June 21, 2021, for the signing of a cooperation agreement to study the concept of a Lunar ISRU Plant (*). It will enable the supply of propellants (hydrogen and oxygen) near and on the lunar surface. The cooperation period is one year.
 In this cooperation agreement, we will study the concept of the lunar ISRU plant utilizing the water-ice resources of the moon, identify the technical elements and research agendas necessary to achieve the concept, and examine the research and development plan. Through this cooperation agreement, JAXA will aim to achieve sustainable exploration activities on the lunar surface after the 2040s.

 (*) A lunar ISRU plant
A lunar ISRU plant is a facility that extracts the water contained in the sand (regolith) on the lunar surface and produces liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen that are used as fuel for lunar landers and spacecrafts. The plant is positioned in the lunar surface exploration roadmap of JAXA as a core system necessary for sustainable exploration activities after 2040s.

For more information: https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/news/detail/001529.html