Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE)-Preparing for human Mars exploration.

MOXIE [Mars Oxygen In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) Experiment] is the first demonstration of ISRU on another planet, producing oxygen by solid oxide electrolysis of carbon dioxide in the martian atmosphere. A scaled-up MOXIE would contribute to sustainable human exploration of Mars by producing on-site the tens of tons of oxygen required for a rocket to transport astronauts off the surface of Mars, instead of having to launch hundreds of tons of material from Earth's surface to transport the required oxygen to Mars. MOXIE has produced oxygen seven times between landing in February 2021 and the end of 2021 and will continue to demonstrate oxygen production during night and day throughout all martian seasons.

A techno-economic model of a solid oxide electrolysis system.

Solid oxide cells can play a vital role in addressing energy and environmental issues. In fuel cell mode they are capable of producing electric energy at high efficiency using hydrocarbon fuels and in the electrolysis mode can produce hydrogen from steam or synthesis gas from a mixture of steam and carbon dioxide. The solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) can operate at a wide range of conditions.