From local resources to in situ propellant and chemical production on Mars. A possible pathway
Arturo Pajares, Paulina Govea-Alvarez, Zhiyuan Chen, Melchiorre Conti, Bart Michielsen
Abstract
• Possible ISRU technologies for propellant production on Mars. • Propellant production strategies on Mars to support return missions. • Chemical production for long-term human colonies on Mars using local resources. • Martian water ice and atmospheric CO 2 as key resources for propellant production. • Iron-based compounds from Martian regolith as multifunctional catalyst. Local resources on Mars offer significant potential for supporting human exploration and colonization. Water ice, abundant in the polar ice caps and possibly below the surface in other regions, can be electrolyzed to produce hydrogen and oxygen, essential components for rocket fuel. Furthermore, carbon dioxide, which is prevalent in the Martian atmosphere, can be converted into basic C1 propellants through different thermo-, electro-, and photo-chemical processes. Martian soil contains a range of elements that can serve as catalysts for propellant and chemical production. The extraction of these elements and their subsequent transformation can be achieved through various chemical and physical methods, including mining and in situ resource utilization (ISRU) technologies. These approaches minimize the need for material transport from Earth, thus reducing mission costs and enhancing sustainability. This review examines the current state of the art of Mars exploration, the local resources discovered to date, and potential routes for producing propellants on Mars for return missions. The discussion of the manufacturing of more complex chemical compounds needed for long-term human colonization on Mars is also contemplated.