BEIJING, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Among the key challenges to sustaining long-term life beyond Earth are achieving self-sufficiency and reducing reliance on Earth's resource supply.
Utilizing in-situ resources -- such as lunar regolith or carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere -- to produce oxygen and fuel is a critical strategy to achieve extraterrestrial resource utilization and minimize dependence on Earth's resources.
China's space station has recently conducted experiments on extraterrestrial artificial photosynthesis technology, completing the in-orbit verification of efficient carbon dioxide conversion and oxygen regeneration processes.
According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), this breakthrough could be a technical foundation for the country's future manned deep-space exploration missions.
Extraterrestrial artificial photosynthesis is the process of using solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and carbon-containing compounds through physicochemical methods in extraterrestrial environments. This innovative method, based on in-situ resource utilization, enables efficient carbon dioxide conversion and oxygen regeneration.
Unlike conventional high-temperature and high-pressure carbon dioxide reduction methods, this process is carried out under ambient temperature and pressure conditions.
It also supports multiple energy conversion pathways, such as solar-to-chemical, solar-to-electrical-to-chemical and solar-to-thermal-to-chemical energy conversion, significantly improving energy utilization efficiency.
Additionally, by modifying the catalysts for the reaction, it is possible to selectively produce various carbon dioxide reduction products through extraterrestrial artificial photosynthesis.
These products may include methane or ethylene, which can be used as propellants, as well as formic acid, a key raw material for sugar synthesis. According to the CMSA, this capability holds significant value for long-term extraterrestrial survival and future in-situ resource utilization.
The experimental equipment aboard China's space station has so far conducted 12 in-orbit experiments, successfully producing both oxygen and ethylene.
These experiments have validated several critical technological processes, including room-temperature carbon dioxide conversion, gas movement and separation in solid-liquid-gas reactions under microgravity, and the precise control of gas and liquid flow rates in space.
The CMSA has also highlighted that it has obtained a wealth of experimental data on multiphase physicochemical reaction processes under microgravity conditions, which is providing valuable insights for the development of new methods to utilize extraterrestrial resources in situ. ■