MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Utilization Experiment) on board of the Perseverance rover will produce pure oxygen from Martian atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) by using a process called solid oxide electrolysis. MOXIE is joint effort of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, OxEon Energy, and additional contributors. The 1/200 scale test model travelled for more than six months on board the rover of the NASA 2020 Mars mission. If successful, solid oxide electrolysis may be deployed to produce oxygen for propellant oxidant in a Mars Ascent Vehicle and fill an oxygen reservoir that could be used for a return mission.
The component that helps diverting the gas into the cell’s elements (interconnector), was manufactured by Plansee HPM and Global Tungsten & Powders (GTP). GTP has extensive experience in the production of chromium based interconnectors for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC), which is a related technology.
The landing of the NASA Mars Perseverance rover is scheduled for today
Thursday, February 18, 2021 2:50 p.m. EST., touch down approx. 3:55 p.m. EST.
Learn more about the Perseverance Mission from NASA and see the landing live:
https://www.nasa.gov/
Details on OxEon Energy’s contribution to MOXIE can be found here:
https://oxeonenergy.com/moxie
