NASA's CaRD Project Achieves Breakthrough in Lunar Resource Utilization

NASA's Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project has advanced efforts to use local resources to support human exploration on the Moon. Integrated prototype testing successfully used concentrated solar energy to extract oxygen from simulated lunar soil, confirming the production of carbon monoxide through a solar-driven chemical reaction.

If deployed on the Moon, this technology has the potential to enable propellant production using lunar materials and sunlight. This could reduce the cost and complexity associated with sustaining a long-term human presence on the lunar surface. The systems designed to convert carbon monoxide into oxygen are also adaptable for converting carbon dioxide into oxygen and methane on Mars.

This could reduce the cost and complexity associated with sustaining a long-term human presence on the lunar surface.

Prototype Components and Collaborative Development

The integrated prototype consisted of a carbothermal oxygen production reactor developed by Sierra Space, a solar concentrator from NASA's Glenn Research Center, precision mirrors by Composite Mirror Applications, and avionics, software, and gas analysis systems from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. NASA's Johnson Space Center was responsible for project management, systems engineering, testing, and hardware development.