MOXIE — LLMpedia

MOXIE
source
Name	MOXIE
Mission	Mars 2020 / Perseverance
Operator	Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Manufacturer	Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory
Launch	30 July 2020
Launch vehicle	Atlas V
Spacecraft	Mars 2020
Power	~300 W
Country	United States
Type	In-situ Resource Utilization demonstrator

Contents

MOXIE MOXIE is an experimental payload aboard the Perseverance rover of the Mars 2020 mission designed to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere through solid oxide electrolysis. Developed by teams at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory with major participation from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the NASA Aerojet Rocketdyne industrial base, MOXIE served as a technology demonstrator to advance in-situ resource utilization capabilities for human exploration of Mars.

Overview

MOXIE was proposed and funded as part of the Mars 2020 payload, coordinated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and approved by NASA following inputs from advisory bodies including the Planetary Science Decadal Survey and consultations with European Space Agency partners. The instrument was integrated onto Perseverance during assembly at Jet Propulsion Laboratory facilities and launched on an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, arriving in Jezero Crater after cruise and atmospheric entry governed by teams at Aerospace Corporation and coordinated using Deep Space Network assets. MOXIE’s success would inform planners at NASA Johnson Space Center, NASA Glenn Research Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and international stakeholders such as Roscosmos, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency about practical approaches to producing propellant and life-support consumables on Mars.

MOXIE’s hardware draws on developments from laboratory efforts at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and prototypes tested at Ames Research Center environmental chambers and comparative work at Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The instrument comprises a gas inlet system and filters linked to a preheater and compressor derived from concepts evaluated by Honeywell and General Electric research groups, feeding a solid oxide electrolysis stack of electrochemical cells using materials studied at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. Control electronics were developed by teams at MIT Lincoln Laboratory with software contributions from Caltech and flight avionics interfaces designed to NASA Planetary Protection standards by Lockheed Martin subcontractors. The structural enclosure interfaces mechanically to Perseverance and is thermalized via radiators and heaters informed by analyses at University of Arizona and Cornell University.

MOXIE operated in discrete runs commanded by Mission Control Center teams at Jet Propulsion Laboratory using mission planning tools developed jointly with NASA Ames Research Center and Caltech scientists. During operation, MOXIE sampled Martian atmosphere enriched in carbon dioxide at Jezero Crater and processed gas through its electrolysis stack at temperatures exceeding 800 °C, monitored by instrumentation akin to sensors from National Institute of Standards and Technology collaborations. Performance metrics—oxygen production rate, energy consumption, cell degradation—were analyzed by researchers from MIT, JPL, NASA Glenn Research Center, University of Colorado Boulder, and Stanford University, and assessed against models validated at NASA Langley Research Center and through experimental work at Purdue University and Georgia Institute of Technology.

MOXIE’s objectives tied into strategic goals articulated by the National Academies and the Planetary Science Decadal Survey to mature technologies enabling human missions. Key aims included demonstrating oxygen production from carbon dioxide via solid oxide electrolysis, characterizing degradation mechanisms studied in labs at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California, Berkeley, validating sealed gas handling compatible with Planetary Protection constraints overseen by NASA Office of Planetary Protection, and informing systems engineering for propellant production schemes considered by NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and industrial partners such as Aerojet Rocketdyne and Blue Origin. MOXIE also provided practical data for life-support architecture studies at Johnson Space Center and for mission planners at European Space Agency and Roscosmos contemplating cooperative human missions.

MOXIE’s development followed an iterative schedule managed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory with funding milestones from NASA and oversight by advisory committees including representatives from National Science Foundation and the National Academies. Fabrication and environmental testing occurred at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, JPL, and partner labs including Sandia National Laboratories and Oak Ridge National Laboratory before integration into Perseverance at Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. After launch on 30 July 2020 aboard an Atlas V and cruise operations coordinated via the Deep Space Network, Perseverance landed in Jezero Crater on 18 February 2021, after which MOXIE conducted scheduled runs coordinated with Science Operations Center teams, with data downlinked to teams at MIT, JPL, and archived by NASA Planetary Data System resources.

MOXIE successfully produced oxygen on Mars, with performance and degradation data informing design choices for scaled systems proposed by NASA and industrial partners including Aerojet Rocketdyne, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin. Results influenced trade studies at Johnson Space Center, system models at NASA Glenn Research Center and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and prototype concepts under development at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Purdue University. Data from MOXIE contributed to planning for in-situ resource utilization demonstrations, propellant production architectures, and life-support system designs for future missions envisioned in cooperation with European Space Agency, Roscosmos, Canadian Space Agency, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The experiment advanced technical readiness levels for solid oxide electrolysis systems and shaped policy discussions within NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and advisory bodies such as the National Academies.

Category:Spacecraft instruments Category:Missions to Mars