Abstract DGP2026-17

The presentation introduces the ISRU technology development activities at the DLR Institute of Space Systems. In 2021, the Synergetic Material Utilization (SMU) team was founded with initial funding through DLR's junior research group programme. The central concept of SMU is the deliberate integration of ISRU engineering with environmental control and life support systems, allowing synergies between both domains to be exploited in order to reduce mass, energy demand, and logistical complexity of future space missions. The group focuses on developing key technologies with high systemic impact and advancing them to technology readiness levels 5 to 6 using laboratory-scale experiments under relevant environmental conditions combined with detailed system simulations. SMU’s research activities are structured around three closely linked thematic areas. The first area addresses regolith beneficiation and utilization, which is a critical prerequisite for efficient resource extraction on the Moon and Mars. Planetary regolith is abundant but heterogeneous, and valuable minerals such as ilmenite, which can be used for oxygen production, are present only in low concentrations. SMU develops and experimentally evaluates dry beneficiation techniques based on physical and mechanical particle properties, including particle size separation as well as magnetic and electrostatic enrichment methods. Initial experiments have demonstrated successful ilmenite enrichment by a factor of more than three, increasing the mineral fraction in the feedstock from roughly four percent to around twelve percent. This enrichment significantly reduces the energy required for oxygen extraction, as less non-reactive material must be heated to high reaction temperatures. The outcomes of this research feed into the development of the Planetary Regolith Processing Unit, a small-scale ISRU payload concept designed as a precursor for future in-situ demonstration missions, and into participation in international technology challenges and field tests. The second research area focuses on the extraction, capturing, and purification of water from icy lunar regolith, particularly in permanently shadowed regions near the lunar south pole. Water is a key resource for life support and propellant production, yet its form, distribution, and accessibility remain uncertain. Within an EU-funded project, SMU has developed an integrated experimental system that operates under lunar-like thermal vacuum conditions. Water is extracted by heating icy regolith simulants, captured as vapor using cold traps or condensers, liquefied, and subsequently purified. Experimental campaigns have demonstrated high capture and yield efficiencies, as well as effective purification through a combination of sedimentation, filtration, and distillation processes, resulting in water suitable for electrolysis and potentially for crew consumption. The third research area comprises system-level analysis and feasibility studies of ISRU systems. These studies examine complete resource-to-product chains, such as the production of oxygen and propellants from lunar water and regolith, and assess concepts like orbital fuel depots. The analyses show that production and processing costs dominate over transportation costs, implying that future ISRU infrastructure should prioritize locations with high resource availability rather than optimal orbital accessibility. Collectively, the work of the SMU group demonstrates how tightly ISRU technologies can substantially enhance the sustainability and feasibility of long-term exploration missions on the Moon and Mars.