MOMS: Mars Oxygen and Methane System

Since developing the Solid OXide Electrolysis (SOXE) stacks for the MOXIE program, the OxEon team has made significant advancements in the scale and capabilities of the technology. As part of an SBIR Phase II Sequential award from NASA, OxEon is developing hardware capable of producing oxygen and methane from Martian environmental conditions for ISRU. The goals of the program include producing high-purity oxygen and methane at pressures up to 3 bar and an oxygen production rate of 1-3 kg/hr. Before final hardware design, key technical objectives will be addressed, such as improving materials for stack robustness, conducting long-term testing for materials qualification, mapping stack operation performance, and developing process models for CO2 collection and H2O removal. The aim is to achieve a high conversion yield of CO2 to CH4. The final hardware deliverable would be compatible with Lunar ISRU operation as well, supporting NASA’s Moon-2-Mars architecture to advance and implement technologies for ISRU systems for both lunar and Mars surface.