Integrated Mars In-Situ Propellant Production System

Pioneer Astronautics has developed a system that harvests CO2 from a simulated Martian atmosphere and reacts it with H2 into rocket propellant at a rate of 1 kg/day. A prototype system operated autonomously for 5 consecutive days, during which it maintained a 100% conversion rate (to detectable limits) of CO2 and H2 into products, maintaining a constant O2:CH4 ratio in the product stream with only minor adjustments.TheintegratedMarsinsitupropellantproductionsystem(IMISPPS)usesamixedcatalystbedtoconducttheSabatiermethanation reactionandthereversewatergasshiftinasinglereactor.Arecycleloopmakesperformanceresistanttooperationalchanges,withproductratios stable regardless of reactor temperature changes of as much as 100C. An optimized IMISPPS is projected to produce 1 kg/day of O2:CH4 propellantandhaveamassof50kgwithamethanepurityof981%whileconsuming700Wofelectricalpower.WithhydrogenfromEarth,the system demonstrates a mass leverage of 18:1 in useful rocket propellant produced on Mars compared with imported feedstock.DOI:10.1061/ (ASCE)AS.1943-5525.0000201. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Planets; Space exploration; Simulation; Hydrogen. Author keywords: Mars; ISRU; Propellant; Sabatier; Reverse water gas shift.