2024-01-17 23:53:58
MONTREAL — The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is launching a competition aimed at developing technologies to purify lunar water.
Canadian innovators are invited to participate in the Aqualunar Challenge to find ways to eliminate contaminants found in the Moon’s water.
According to the ASC, the innovations might improve water purification techniques on Earth, but would also be used to prepare for deep space exploration missions, such as the Artemis program missions.
“We aim to purify the water on the Moon. However, these contaminants are also present in some of the industrial processes here on Earth. So the idea is to kill two birds with one stone, then use the development of space technologies to ideally contribute to solving problems that are common on Earth,” summarized Mathieu Giguère, manager, planning, mobilization and innovation for the ASC.
Prepare space habitation missions
The Artemis program missions aim to place a man and a woman on the Moon by 2025, with a view to possibly sending astronauts to Mars.
For humans to settle for a certain period of time on the Moon or Mars, we must be able to decontaminate the water, in order to grow food, but also to produce oxygen and propellant, the fuel used in rockets.
“To make propellant, we electrolyze water, which produces oxygen and hydrogen,” summarized Mathieu Giguère.
Contaminated lunar water
NASA has carried out several missions to determine whether the Moon contains water. One of these missions, carried out around fifteen years ago, consisted of crashing a two-ton probe into a permanently dark zone of a lunar crater.
NASA “then observed the cloud of dust emanating from it. There was the presence of water, but there was also the presence of significant contaminants such as hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, carbon monoxide, among others,” explained Mathieu Giguère.
He added that “this is the only mission that has demonstrated very precisely the presence of contaminants» in the water of the Moon.
Four objectives
Canadian innovators have until April 8 to submit their concept and have the opportunity to participate in the Aqualunaire Challenge, an international collaboration project between the United Kingdom and Canada.
In a press release, the ASC listed four objectives of the Aqualunaire challenge.
The technology submitted to the competition will have to “remove contaminants present in water extracted from lunar regolith (soil) to produce usable water or propellant”.
It will also “minimize energy consumption throughout the water purification process and the need to replenish water and fuel, among others.”
And finally, innovation must make it possible to “separate contaminants and create by-products to support the establishment of human beings on the Moon”.
“The competition is aimed at Canadian innovators. So, whether they are businesses or non-profit organizations, individuals or research groups,” so “it’s really open to all Canadians,” said Mr. Giguère.
The total amount of grants awarded for all stages of the challenge can reach one million dollars.
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