Water is the foundation of all life, and for decades, scientists have struggled with one key challenge—how to sustain future human missions on the Moon without relying on Earth’s limited resources.
A new study has cracked a significant piece of that puzzle.
Researchers at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have discovered a groundbreaking way to generate water directly from the Moon’s soil.
How the Moon’s Soil Could Sustain Future Astronauts
For years, lunar exploration missions—ranging from NASA’s Apollo program to China’s Chang’E-5 mission—have confirmed that water exists on the Moon.
But there’s a catch: it’s locked away in minuscule amounts within lunar minerals, making extraction a daunting challenge.
The typical water content in lunar regolith ranges from 0.0001% to 0.02%, which means conventional methods wouldn’t produce nearly enough water to support astronauts.
That’s where this study changes the game.
Led by Professor WANG Junqiang, the team devised a method that could make sustainable lunar habitation possible.
They discovered that heating lunar regolith to extreme temperatures (above 1,200 K) triggers a chemical reaction that releases water.
The process works by leveraging hydrogen implanted in the soil by the solar wind.
When the soil is heated using concentrated solar energy, a reaction occurs between the minerals and hydrogen, resulting in the formation of water molecules.
Their findings, published in The Innovation, reveal that one gram of lunar regolith can generate between 51 and 76 milligrams of water.
On a larger scale, a single ton of lunar soil could produce over 50 kilograms of water, which is enough to sustain 50 people for a day.
Lunar Water Scarcity a Myth?
For years, the prevailing assumption was that the Moon’s water content was too low to be practical.
Many experts argued that water would have to be mined from ice deposits hidden in permanently shadowed craters, a process that requires heavy equipment and complex logistics.
However, this new study challenges that belief. The Moon’s surface may not be as dry as once thought.
The key lies in a mineral called ilmenite (FeTiO3), which has a lattice structure ideal for storing hydrogen implanted by solar wind.
When lunar regolith containing ilmenite is heated, this stored hydrogen interacts with oxygen in the minerals, forming water.
This discovery means that water isn’t just locked in deep ice reserves—it could be extracted almost anywhere on the Moon’s surface where regolith is present.
Water for Drinking, Farming, and Fuel
The implications of this study go far beyond just having a convenient water source for astronauts.
The water generated from lunar soil could be used for multiple critical functions, including:
- Drinking water for astronauts stationed on the Moon.
- Irrigation for plant life, paving the way for lunar greenhouses.
- Electrolysis to produce oxygen for breathing and hydrogen for rocket fuel, drastically reducing the need to transport resources from Earth.
With sustainable water production, the Moon could become a launchpad for deep-space exploration.
Instead of sending costly shipments of water and fuel from Earth, future missions could use lunar resources to fuel spacecraft headed for Mars and beyond.
The Future of Lunar Exploration
As NASA, China, and private companies like SpaceX race to establish a permanent presence on the Moon, this new method could be a game-changer.
Future lunar bases may rely on in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to reduce costs and enhance sustainability.
While challenges remain—such as scaling up this method for large-scale use—this discovery represents a major leap forward.
With further research, we may soon witness self-sustaining lunar colonies, scientific research stations, and even space tourism.
This is more than just a scientific breakthrough—it’s a vision of the future where humans live and thrive beyond Earth.
