In NASA's Break the Ice Lunar Challenge, Masten Space Systems, partnering with Honeybee Robotics and Lunar Outpost, is developing a rover to harvest ice from the lunar surface and convert it into vital water vapor for Artemis astronauts.
NASA and its partners aim to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon through the Artemis program, targeting crewed landings as early as 2024. Unlike the Apollo era, this initiative focuses on long-term operations. While initial supply missions from Earth are feasible, their high costs necessitate in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), particularly water ice. This precious resource can sustain astronauts, enable food production, and produce rocket fuel.
Data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) suggests abundant ice in the permanently shadowed craters at the Moon's south pole, a prime landing site for future missions. Several efforts are underway to prospect and extract this ice on-site, including Astrobotic's VIPER mission, slated for launch in 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
However, confirming ice presence is just the first step—extraction is the real challenge. NASA's "Break the Ice Lunar Challenge" addresses this. Masten's proposed Rocket M rover, weighing over 1.1 tons, will deploy from a lander that doubles as a support station.
Solar-powered and capable of speeds up to 3.45 km/h while navigating 20% slopes, the rover targets pre-selected mining sites. It deploys a metal pressure dome to seal the regolith (lunar soil). A small rocket engine delivering 45 kilos of thrust then heats and pulverizes the soil up to two meters deep.
The resulting icy regolith is vacuumed into the rover, processed into water vapor, and stored. Masten reports the cycle takes just five to ten minutes. Tested on simulated lunar regolith, the system could mine a dozen craters daily. Assuming 100 kg of ice per crater, it equates to 426 tons of water recovered per year. Part will fuel the engine via electrolysis (producing oxygen and hydrogen), with the remainder supporting life and other needs.
