Their “photothermal” method uses heat from sunlight to convert lunar ice and astronaut-exhaled carbon dioxide into usable elements like oxygen, hydrogen, and fuel, potentially enabling sustainable long-term lunar habitation.
Successfully tested on Moon samples collected by China’s Chang’E-5 mission, this discovery could drastically reduce costs and infrastructure complexity for future Moon bases.
Despite challenges from the harsh lunar environment, the achievement underscores China’s rapid advancement in space exploration, positioning it to lead Moon colonization efforts by 2035.
