In Situ Resource Utilization

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In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) refers to the production of useful materials from the resources available at a given location. (The phrase is from the Latin in situ, meaning "at the site", or "in place".)

One form of ISRU is In-Situ Propellant Production, (ISPP), or manufacture of rocket fuel from local resources; the term ISPP is no longer currently much used, in favor of the more generic terminology ISRU, which incorporates use of in-situ resources for uses other than propellant.

ISRU can be categorized into production of materials useful at the current location, primarily:

  • life support
  • propellant
  • radiation shielding
  • construction and structural materials
  • raw materials for other production useful for habitat expansion

It may be possible to commercialize these processes to produce:

materials for use elsewhere in space:
  • propellant for exploration and colonization
  • building materials for habitats and spacecraft
materials as commodities for possible sale back to Earth:
  • high-value materials, such as Platinum Group Metals
  • bulk materials, such as nickel and iron refined from asteroidal resources
  • materials for manufacture of solar power satellites to export energy to Earth


ISRU possible on the moon


Construction Materials

Lunar Oxygen (LUNOX)

(see also listing on LUNOX page)

Metals

Lunar Gasses (other than oxygen)

Related Articles

External Links

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