LUWEX Highlights: A Complete Process Chain Demonstration of Lunar Water Extraction and Purification

Kurzfassung

The LUWEX project demonstrated a complete end-to-end process chain for extracting, capturing, and purifying water from icy lunar regolith. This work advances In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) for future sustainable lunar exploration and in-situ propellant production. With the project recently concluded, experimental results confirm the feasibility of lunar water extraction at high recovery efficiencies. The system reached Technology Readiness Level 4, with the extraction and capture subsystems successfully tested in a thermal vacuum chamber able to replicate relevant conditions in permanently shadowed lunar craters. The process involved sublimating ice contained in several kilograms of icy lunar regolith simulant and capturing the released vapour on a cold trap through deposition. Key achievements include the development of a high-fidelity unfused discrete icy regolith simulant, the production of multiple litres of extracted and captured water, and the purification of both captured water and simulated lunar water. The purified water was analysed to ensure suitability for electrolysis and potential human consumption, demonstrating its applicability for ISRU-based propellant production and life support. The analysis shows that removing volatiles like methanol is a challenge when it is present in large quantities as shown by the data from LCROSS. This presentation will showcase the full experimental workflow, highlighting key technologies, challenges, and lessons learned. It will provide an in-depth look at our test campaigns and system performance. By sharing these insights, we aim to inform future lunar ISRU efforts and mission designs.