Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (STMD) (MOXIE)
Project Description
MOXIE is a payload on the Mars 2020 rover developed to demonstrate In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technologies to enable propellant and consumable oxygen production from the Martian environment. Additionally MOXIE will provide insight into the atmospheric dust characteristics to understand its effects on the operation of surface systems. MOXIE collects CO2 from the Martian atmosphere and electrochemically splits the CO2 molecules into O2 and CO. The O2 is then analyzed for purity before being vented back out to the Mars atmosphere along with the CO and other exhaust products.
More »Anticipated Benefits
NASA's Mars exploration is dependent on systems being able to provide required resources utilizing the Martian environment. MOXIE addresses key knowledge gaps in oxygen production that will be required to safely sustain a human presence on Mars.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) | Lead Organization | FFRDC/UARC | Pasadena, California |
| Air Squared, Inc. | Supporting Organization | Industry | Broomfield, Colorado |
| Ceramatec, Inc. | Supporting Organization | Industry | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | Supporting Organization | Academia | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Co-Funding Partners | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Exploration Capabilities | NASA Program | |
| Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) | NASA Mission Directorate | |
| Science Mission Directorate (SMD) | NASA Mission Directorate |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
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California
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Massachusetts
