technology
The agreement was signed: An Israeli company will produce oxygen from the lunar soil
The Israeli start-up, supported by the Israeli Space Agency and the Innovation Authority, has signed a technological cooperation agreement with Germany.
CEO: "The key to extraterrestrial human development and a dramatic reduction in space exploration costs"
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The moon
Yinon Ben Shoshan
Monday, 18 October 2021, 10:30 Updated: 10:41
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Imaging the production of oxygen and metal on the moon (Photo: Helios)
The Israeli company Helios announced today (Monday) that it has signed an agreement with the German company OHB to conduct an oxygen production experiment on the lunar soil.
Helios, which is supported by the Israeli Space Agency and the Innovation Authority, is developing technology for the production of oxygen and metal from lunar dance to overcome one of the significant challenges in having future extraterrestrial colonies.
OHB's spacecraft is being built together with Israel Aerospace Industries on the basis of experience gained in the Genesis project and is planned to carry out a series of experiments and fly unique cargo to the moon for the European Space Agency, companies in Europe and around the world.
"Oxygen is one of the most significant and heavy components in spaceflight, over 60% of the weight of rockets at launch," says Jonathan Geifman, CEO of Helios.
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Jonathan Geifman (right) at the signing event with Dr. Timo Stepler (Photo: Helios)
"Nearly half of the Earth's ground mass is made of oxygen that can be produced in place without having to be flown from Earth and thus significantly reduce future flying costs and reduce dependence on shipment of raw materials from Earth. , "Gifman added.
The formation of materials is done in a process of electrolysis which decomposes the minerals and oxides that make up the sand into iron, iron and silicon.
Helios' technology, which it develops in its laboratories in Israel, also has many applications on Earth in the production of iron and silicon in an environmentally friendly process that can reduce over 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the world.
"Establishing a permanent base on the moon requires broad international cooperation," says Brigadier General (Res.) Uri Oron, director general of the Israel Space Agency.
"Helios is an example of a company that will become a major global player in efforts to return to the moon. We welcome the tripartite cooperation between the two companies along with IAI that expresses the strong technological ties between Israel and Germany and the ability of cross-border collaborations to bring about scientific breakthroughs."
In addition, Helios signed another similar Israeli-Japanese agreement last July and will be integrated into the mission to the moon of the Japanese company iSpace.
The company is expected to launch its first mission to the moon aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in late 2023.
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