US EditionNASA Extracts Oxygen from Lunar Soil Using Solar Energy
The CaRD project produced oxygen and carbon monoxide from lunar soil simulant using solar energy, marking progress in sustainable lunar exploration technology development.
- On Feb. 13, 2026, NASA's Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration project completed integrated prototype testing.
- The CaRD project aims to develop in‑situ resource use to produce propellant and oxygen from lunar materials and sunlight, lowering costs, with systems adaptable for Mars.
- The integrated prototype brought together commercial and multiple NASA center contributions, combining a Sierra Space carbothermal reactor, a NASA Glenn Research Center solar concentrator, Composite Mirror Applications mirrors, NASA Kennedy Space Center avionics and analysis, and NASA Johnson Space Center project management.
- The successful completion is a key milestone toward eventual lunar deployment to support long‑term human exploration, NASA confirmed.
- The solar‑driven chemical process produced oxygen and confirmed carbon monoxide as a byproduct during testing with concentrated solar energy and simulated lunar regolith.
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Sunlight extracts oxygen from regolith using solar chemistry
NASA's Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project has completed an important step toward using local resources to support human exploration on the moon. The CaRD team performed integrated prototype testing that used concentrated solar energy to extract oxygen from simulated lunar soil, while confirming the production of carbon monoxide through a solar-driven chemical reaction.
NASA Tests Solar-Powered Oxygen Extraction from Lunar Soil - National Today
NASA has completed an important test of its Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project, which aims to produce oxygen from simulated lunar soil using concentrated solar energy. The integrated prototype combined a solar concentrator, mirrors, and control software to confirm the production of carbon monoxide through a solar-driven chemical reaction.
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