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    China and Russia’s Roscosmos Plan Lunar Base with Innovative Water Extraction Technique for Sustainable Moon Settlement

    Science & Tech 7 Mins Read

    China and Russia are planning to collaborate on the construction of a lunar base, known as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). This initiative is part of a broader effort to establish a long-term presence on the Moon, rivaling NASA’s Artemis program. The ILRS project involves multiple phases, beginning with reconnaissance missions to gather data and test soft-landing capabilities, followed by the construction of infrastructure for energy, communications, and scientific research from 2026 to 2035. The final phase, starting around 2036, would see the beginning of crewed missions to the lunar base​ SpaceNews

    In the next few years, China and Roscosmos plan to establish the International Lunar Research Station (ILRSP), a permanent base in the Moon’s southern polar region. The construction of this base is set to begin with the delivery of initial surface elements by 2030 and is projected to continue until around 2040. This initiative aims to rival NASA’s Artemis Program, which includes the Lunar Gateway orbiting the Moon and the Artemis Base Camp on the lunar surface. However, alongside the high costs of building these facilities, numerous challenges need to be addressed to make them viable.

    One of the significant challenges for sustaining a long-term lunar presence is ensuring a steady supply of essential resources. Unlike the International Space Station, which can be resupplied in a few hours, sending supplies to the Moon takes about three days. To address this, NASA, China, and other space agencies are developing techniques to extract resources directly from the lunar environment, known as In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). Recently, a research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) introduced a new method to produce substantial amounts of water by reacting lunar soil, or regolith, with hydrogen found naturally on the Moon.

    The research, led by Professor Wang Junqiang at the CAS Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), was conducted in collaboration with the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Their findings were published in the Chinese journal The Innovation, in a paper titled “Massive Water Production from Lunar Ilmenite through Reaction with Endogenous Hydrogen.”

    Since the Apollo missions first brought lunar rock and soil samples back to Earth, scientists have known that the Moon contains significant amounts of water. Subsequent robotic missions, such as China’s Chang’e-5, confirmed these findings. However, much of the water on the Moon is not in its liquid form but exists as hydroxyl (OH), which is created when solar wind interacts with oxygen in the lunar regolith. Additionally, water ice can be found in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), like the craters in the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

    The challenge, however, lies in extracting usable water from these sources. Lunar regolith contains only small amounts of hydroxyl, ranging from 0.0001% to 0.02%. Moreover, the ice mixed with regolith in cratered regions forms layers beneath the surface, making extraction difficult. After analyzing samples returned by Chang’e-5, Wang’s team found that the highest concentrations of water were in ilmenite (FeTiO3), a mineral rich in titanium and iron found in lunar soil.

    The team discovered that ilmenite’s unique lattice structure contains sub-nanometer tunnels that facilitate water production. Through a series of in-situ heating experiments, they demonstrated that heating lunar regolith to over 1,200 K (about 930°C or 1,700°F) using focused sunlight causes iron crystals and water vapor to form. The chemical reaction can be represented as: FeO/Fe2O3 + H → Fe + H2O. This process can yield between 51 to 76 milligrams of water per gram of lunar soil, translating to about 50 liters (13.2 gallons) of water per ton of processed regolith—enough to support 50 people daily. This method could provide not only drinking water but also irrigation for crops, reducing the dependence on Earth for essential supplies.

    Additionally, this process could be used to produce hydrogen and oxygen from lunar regolith, which could then be converted into rocket fuel or used to maintain breathable air supplies. As the research team noted, “Our findings suggest that the hydrogen retained in [lunar regolith] is a significant resource for obtaining H2O on the Moon, which is helpful for establishing scientific research stations on the Moon.”

    The technique relies primarily on concentrated sunlight, with solar panels providing additional power for water retention. The main limitation is that this method is only feasible during the lunar day at the Moon’s south pole, allowing for operations to continue for two weeks before a two-week pause. This limitation could be overcome by positioning processing facilities away from the polar regions or using a network of solar mirrors or satellites to direct sunlight to the south pole.

    This innovative approach offers a potentially cost-effective solution for harvesting water on the Moon, especially compared to more energy-intensive methods like heating regolith in industrial furnaces. It could also be combined with other methods of extracting and processing ice to ensure that future lunar settlements have a sustainable water supply.

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    One notable aspect of this plan is the proposal to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2035. This reactor would provide power to the lunar base and support various operations without human presence during its construction. The reactor project reflects the ambitious scope of the ILRS and highlights the technological challenges both countries are willing to undertake to achieve their lunar ambitions​( livescience.com

    The partnership between China and Russia on this lunar project underscores a growing division in international space exploration efforts. While the ILRS is open to international partners, its development represents a separate pathway from U.S.-led initiatives, potentially leading to new dynamics in global space cooperation and competition​ SpaceNews

    Major Points:

    • China and Roscosmos are planning to establish the International Lunar Research Station (ILRSP) on the Moon’s southern polar region, with construction starting by 2030 and completion expected around 2040.
    • Sustaining a long-term presence on the Moon requires efficient resource management; agencies like NASA and China are exploring In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) to extract resources directly from the lunar environment.
    • Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a method to produce water from lunar soil by reacting it with naturally occurring hydrogen, using focused sunlight to initiate the chemical process.
    • The new water extraction technique could provide enough water to support 50 people daily and help cultivate crops, reducing reliance on Earth for essential supplies.
    • The method depends on sunlight, making it viable only during the lunar day at the south pole, but this limitation could be mitigated by alternative positioning or using solar mirrors to extend operational capacity.

    Charles William III – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News

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