Frazer-Nash Consultancy has published a review of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technology capabilities in the United Kingdom (UK) for the UK Space Agency.<\/p>\n
The review<\/a>, released Oct. 6, drew on a survey of UK organizations and a workshop with them. The report says it is for information only and \u201cdoes not represent national policy.\u201d<\/p>\n The review\u2019s bottom line is that ISRU<\/a>, using materials found on the Moon or Mars instead of hauling them from Earth, is \u201ca growing area in the UK with diverse capabilities, albeit with some barriers to overcome.\u201d It identifies prospecting as the UK\u2019s demonstrated strength, finds most of the technology still at early stages of readiness, and says a clear national strategy would help the UK play a key part in NASA and European missions.<\/p>\n UK strengths<\/p>\n Prospecting, the first step in the ISRU process, means identifying and characterizing resources such as ice and minerals. \u201cThe UK has demonstrated its strength in prospecting with key projects,\u201d the review concludes.<\/p>\n An Open University instrument flew on Astrobotic\u2019s Peregrine lander in January 2024. The lander never reached the surface, but the instrument, a mass spectrometer that identifies chemicals by their mass, ran for 10 days in space and collected 80 spectra, the report says. Another Open University instrument, ProSPA, a miniature laboratory that analyzes gases from heated soil samples, is scheduled, the report says, to reach the lunar south pole in 2027 on an Intuitive Machines lander.<\/p>\n On extracting oxygen and metal, the review points to the European Space Agency\u2019s (ESA) proposed ISRU Demonstration Mission, a lander-mounted demonstration plant. The review\u2019s conclusions say \u201cthe UK is leading the European development with a largely British consortium involved in the ISRU-DM mission.\u201d Its annex, though, says the mission was originally led by Thales Alenia Space UK and is now headed by OHB, with contributions from AVS, Metalysis, the Open University and Redwire Space Europe of Luxembourg. An earlier proof-of-concept study using Metalysis\u2019s molten-salt process achieved 96 per cent oxygen extraction from simulated lunar soil, the report says. The mission is listed as proposed, with no launch date.<\/p>\n The review also says the UK could become a testbed for ISRU technology, using the 21 facilities it lists, though that \u201cwould need a driving force and direction from the sector and providers.\u201d<\/p>\n The review stops short of calling the UK a leader. It recommends that the UK Space Agency later decide whether the UK can be considered \u201ca leader in this field,\u201d using criteria from the UK Space Exploration Technology Roadmap.<\/p>\n Early-stage technology<\/p>\n Two-thirds of the 27 UK organizations that responded were companies, most of them small or medium-sized. More than eight in 10 are focused on developing technology for the Moon.<\/p>\n The survey asked each to rate its technology on the technology readiness level scale, known as TRL, where 1 is a basic idea and 9 is proven in flight.<\/p>\n By SpaceQ\u2019s count of the report\u2019s chart, 15 of the 18 technologies reported sat no higher than the middle of the scale. The report calls the pattern a \u201cvalley of death,\u201d with few technologies reaching the upper levels.<\/p>\n Respondents listed a \u201clack of funding pathways\u201d and said funding instability had pushed industry toward single demonstration prototypes rather than repeatable ones. Academics said short contracts for postdoctoral researchers stall projects. Access to test facilities was the other main complaint.<\/p>\n What industry wants<\/p>\n Respondents asked for a UK ISRU strategy, a government-funded first mission, clearer rules on using space resources and shared technical standards. The review\u2019s own conclusion is blunt about the payoff: \u201cA clear UK strategy would broaden visibility, enabling UK strengths in process engineering and materials science to play a critical role.\u201d The report does not say whether the government will act on any of it.<\/p>\n Canada in the review<\/p>\n In its survey of other space agencies\u2019 plans, the review says Canada \u201chas been involved in ISRU related technology development for many years.\u201d It points to the Canadian Space Agency\u2019s (CSA) Lunar Surface Exploration Initiative, created in 2021 to \u201cadvance technologies focused on five fundamental fields for lunar exploration,\u201d one of which was \u201cMining and In-Situ Resource Utilisation.\u201d The review cites SpaceQ\u2019s December 2023 story<\/a> on $2.9 million in lunar awards as its source.<\/p>\n