{"id":15152,"date":"2026-03-11T10:24:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/ice-to-fuel-nasa-tests-technology-for-refueling-landers\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T10:24:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:24:38","slug":"ice-to-fuel-nasa-tests-technology-for-refueling-landers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/ice-to-fuel-nasa-tests-technology-for-refueling-landers\/","title":{"rendered":"Ice to Fuel: NASA Tests Technology for\u00a0Refueling\u00a0Landers\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ice to Fuel: NASA Tests Technology for\u00a0Refueling\u00a0Landers\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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3 min read<\/p>\n

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Two<\/a><\/figure>
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NASA engineers Jonathan Davis, left, and Markus Perkins inspect a flight-like cryocooler developed by Creare LLC prior to its integration into the CryoFILL system NASA is testing. Engineers are working inside NASA Glenn Research Center\u2019s Creek Road Cryogenics Complex on Sept. 24, 2025.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA\/Jef Janis<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The farther the destination, the more\u00a0fuel\u00a0a\u00a0rocket\u00a0needs. The more fuel\u00a0the rocket\u00a0carries, the heavier the spacecraft. The heavier the spacecraft, the more fuel\u00a0it\u00a0requires to launch.\u00a0Experts\u00a0at NASA\u2019s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland\u00a0are\u00a0testing technology\u00a0that could solve this problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0CryoFILL\u00a0(Cryogenic Fluid In-Situ\u00a0Liquefaction for Landers)\u00a0project\u00a0could transform the way\u00a0NASA fuels\u00a0future space exploration missions, reducing costs and extending the duration of\u00a0planetary\u00a0surface operations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you think about how much fuel your spacecraft would need to go to Mars and come home, it\u2019s quite a lot,\u201d said Evan Racine,\u00a0CryoFILL\u00a0project manager\u00a0at NASA\u00a0Glenn. \u201cIf we can produce and\u00a0liquefy oxygen on the Moon or Mars, we can fuel landers on the surface where they land, reducing the amount of propellant needed to launch from Earth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Through the\u00a0Artemis<\/a>\u00a0program, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly\u00a0ambitious\u00a0missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build\u00a0a\u00a0foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

To sustain a long-term presence on the lunar surface, NASA\u00a0aims\u00a0to\u00a0use\u00a0the\u00a0Moon\u2019s resources\u00a0to\u00a0make\u00a0products\u00a0like\u00a0propellant.\u00a0Oxygen,\u00a0a key ingredient\u00a0of\u00a0rocket fuel,\u00a0can be\u00a0extracted\u00a0from water ice found in\u00a0permanently shadowed\u00a0regions of the Moon.\u00a0This\u00a0oxygen\u00a0would be\u00a0mined\u00a0in a gas form,\u00a0but\u00a0to be used as a propellant,\u00a0it\u00a0must be cooled and condensed into liquid form. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

NASA Glenn experts are using a flight-like\u00a0cryocooler,\u00a0developed by\u00a0Creare\u00a0LLC through\u00a0NASA\u2019s Small Business Innovation Research program<\/a>,\u00a0to\u00a0remove heat from\u00a0the system that extracts the\u00a0oxygen. This allows the oxygen to\u00a0condense and remain at extremely cold temperatures\u00a0below\u00a0minus\u00a0300\u00a0degrees Fahrenheit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re testing with flight-like hardware to see how oxygen liquefies and how the system responds to different scenarios,\u201d said Wesley Johnson,\u00a0CryoFILL\u00a0lead engineer. \u201cThese are critical steps toward scaling up and automating future in-situ refueling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the course of the\u00a0next\u00a0three\u00a0months, NASA\u00a0engineers\u00a0will study how oxygen condenses under various conditions, use the data to\u00a0validate\u00a0temperature computer models,\u00a0and\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0how NASA can scale the\u00a0technology\u00a0for larger applications.\u00a0Once the test is complete, the data will inform designs of these technologies for use on the Moon, Mars, or other planetary surfaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Cryogenic Fluid Management Portfolio Project is a cross-agency team based at NASA Glenn and NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.\u00a0The cryogenic portfolio\u2019s work is part of NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate and is\u00a0comprised\u00a0of more than 20 individual technology development activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Two<\/a><\/figure>
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Inside NASA Glenn Research Center\u2019s Creek Road Cryogenics Complex, NASA engineers Jonathan Davis, left, and Wesley Johnson prepare to integrate a flight-like cryocooler developed by Creare LLC with the CryoFILL system on Sept. 24, 2025. <\/div>\n
Credit: NASA\/Jef Janis<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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