Metalysis gets ESA development contract for FFC process

An ESA contract may lead to oxygen production on the moon.

Metalysis, UK, a manufacturer of solid-state metal and alloy powders, has been awarded European Space Agency (ESA) fundingfor its project The Metalysis FFC Process for Extra-Terrestrial Oxygen Production from ISRU, which forms part of ESA's Space Resources Strategy.

The Metalysis process has been proven for the industrial-scale production of metals and alloys, and the new investigation will consider potential application to regolith-like materials in a lunar context. An initial proof of concept study has resulted in a metallic powder where 96% of the total oxygen is successfully extracted, resulting in a mixed metal alloy product that can be used for in-situ manufacturing.

The project will be looking at oxygen production for propellants and life support consumables. The ability to extract oxygen on the moon is vital for future exploration and habitation, being essential for sustainable long duration activities in space. In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) will significantly reduce the payload mass that would be needed to be launched.

A previous NASA-funded study, undertaken in 2004, investigated the applicability of the FFC­Cambridge process for the electrolysis of lunar ilmenite, termed the llmenox process. At the time, the FFC-Cambridge process was still in its early stages.

Metalysis has since scaled-up its technology. As of 2018, titanium and tantalum metal production has been developed at an industrial scale, and the production of many other metals and alloys has also been proven. More recently, the production of intermetallics of aluminium and scandium has been increased to industrial scale.

The ESA contract is  number 4000131940.