Collection and Processing of Lunar Regolith
You have until February 20, 2025 to submit on OSIP!
Win up to €750k
The best performing team overall will be rewarded a with €500,000 development contract for a feasibility study with ESA. The best performing team in the Beneficiation category will be rewarded with up to €250,000 by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) & ESRIC.
700m²
Lunar Analogue Terrain
2
Prizes
€750k
Total Potential Gain
Timeline
The Second Space Resources Challenge
The focus of the Second Space Resources Challenge is Excavation & Beneficiation.
Excavation refers to the collection, hauling, and handling of lunar regolith prior to processing. In terrestrial mining, excavation refers to the process of removing earth, rock or other materials from a mine site to extract valuable minerals.
The term Beneficiation is adapted from the terrestrial mining industry and refers to any process that improves the economic value of an ore by removing the gangue minerals, resulting in a higher-grade product. In the context of ISRU, beneficiation, also referred as feedstock preparation, can include processes such as particle size separation or mineral enrichment methods to isolate an improved feedstock for the next step in the process.
Mission Scenario
It is the 2040s. Operations to sustain a long-term human presence on the Moon’s surface using lunar resources have begun. End-to-end ISRU processes have been demonstrated in-situ via robotic and crewed missions and small-scale production of ISRU products such as oxygen and metals has begun. Integrated systems to extract, process, and store raw lunar resources and end-products are in place, including the infrastructure enabling early use cases for regolith (i.e., additive manufacturing for construction) and oxygen (i.e., refuelling capability).
Astronauts, partially dependent on in-situ resources for breathing, shelter, and space travel, typically stay on the Moon for periods of up to 30 days to conduct scientific experiments but also to maintain the ISRU infrastructure, such as the oxygen extraction plant. Despite the need for frequent resupply missions and repairs, the ISRU facilities operate autonomously, even between missions.
As a team, your main objective is to collect regolith and prepare it for further processing using size-sorting methods only. You will need to produce a feedstock with a particle size distribution specifically tailored to optimise the molten salt electrolysis process, an oxygen extraction method. Your task is to provide enough oxygen to sustain eight astronauts during a 30-days mission at Moon’s South Pole.
Our Partners
Challenge Partner
The Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) and the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC) will award the Beneficiation prize. The best performing team in this category will win up to €250,000 in the form of a development contract.
Team Partner
Exotopic, as a Team Partner of the Second Space Resources Challenge, may offer financial support, provide business and/or technical assistance, and help increase visibility for anyone interested in participating.
LUNA
The Second Space Resources Challenge, ”Collecting and Processing Lunar Regolith”, is set to take place at LUNA, the newly inaugurated facility designed to prepare future astronauts for lunar missions. This state-of-the-art facility, spanning over 700m², will replicate eventually the challenging environment of the moon with realistic lighting conditions, simulated lunar gravity. Participants will be tasked with designing and operating robotic systems capable of collecting and sorting lunar regolith simulant.
