![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/jsc2025e075711.webp.jpeg\" "\\"Solar-driven")
A solar concentrator is tested as part of the Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project. Credit: NASA\/Michael Rushing<\/p>\nSpace travel has always had a luggage problem. If you want to breathe, drink, or move on the Moon, you have to bring every molecule of it with you from Earth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s latest testing indicates a shift in deep-space strategy. Instead of hauling every liter of life support from Earth, future explorers might be able to simply harvest the lunar landscape.<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) team recently hit a massive milestone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Using nothing but concentrated sunlight and simulated lunar dirt, they successfully extracted oxygen. It\u2019s a literal \u201cbreath of fresh air\u201d for the Artemis program.<\/p>\n
This reduces the need to transport heavy supplies from Earth, making long-term lunar stays more affordable and sustainable.<\/p>\n
The test confirmed that solar energy alone can drive the chemical reaction needed to produce carbon monoxide, a critical precursor for generating oxygen and fuel.<\/p>\n
A solar concentrator is tested as part of the Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project. Credit: NASA\/Michael Rushing<\/p>\n
Harvesting the grey dust <\/p>\n
With resupply missions from Earth being rare and costly, NASA is prioritizing In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU).\u00a0<\/p>\n
This \u201clive off the land\u201d strategy allows astronauts to harvest local lunar and Martian materials to produce air, water, and fuel.<\/p>\n
The concept is simple, yet the execution is pure rocket science. The lunar surface is covered in regolith<\/a> \u2014 a fine, abrasive powder.\u00a0<\/p>\n While it looks like dry ash, it is chemically rich in oxygen trapped within metal oxides. The Moon gets a regular delivery of oxygen from Earth\u2019s magnetotail<\/a> \u2014 the tail-end of our planet\u2019s magnetic field.<\/p>\n Particularly, lunar regolith is nearly half oxygen<\/a> by mass, though it remains chemically locked within silicate minerals. <\/p>\n NASA has now proven that carbothermal reduction can effectively break those bonds, transforming common moon dust into a life-sustaining resource.<\/p>\n The testing used a solar concentrator, precision mirrors, and advanced control software for processing lunar soil simulant.\u00a0<\/p>\n To unlock it, the CaRD team used a solar concentrator to focus energy into a specialized reactor. The heat triggers a chemical reaction that strips the oxygen away, leaving behind carbon monoxide as a byproduct.<\/p>\n \u201cThe CaRD team performed integrated prototype testing that used concentrated solar energy to extract oxygen from simulated lunar soil, while confirming the production of carbon monoxide through a solar-driven chemical reaction,\u201d NASA wrote.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n No resupply needed<\/p>\n