The Canadian Space Agency (CSA), in partnership with the Privy Council Office’s Impact Canada Initiative, has awarded Toronto-based Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation (CSMC) the $400,000 grand prize in the Aqualunar Challenge.
Announced today at the 2026 Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, CSMC was selected by a jury of experts from a final shortlist of four Canadian teams. Their winning concept, LunaPure, is designed as a self-sustained system that utilizes the natural lunar environment to filter and convert raw lunar ice into drinkable water.
The Aqualunar Challenge operates as a bilateral initiative between Canada and the United Kingdom, designed to address a critical capability gap in upcoming deep space architectures. The UK track is managed by Challenge Works on behalf of the UK Space Agency. The UK winner was SonoChem System by Naicker Scientific.
As international efforts move toward establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon, securing reliable in-situ resources is a baseline requirement. Lunar water is a vital asset not only for life support but also for the localized synthesis of oxygen and hydrogen rocket fuel.
To safely utilize the ice located in permanently shadowed lunar craters, surface operations require robust methods to filter out abrasive lunar regolith and potential chemical contaminants. Developing this infrastructure is a necessary precursor to viable, long-term lunar outposts. The CSA also notes that technologies developed for the lunar surface have the potential to yield terrestrial benefits, advancing commercial water purification processes on Earth.
CSMC, which rebranded from the Canadian Space Mining Corporation earlier this year to reflect a broader focus on dual-use space and defence technologies, stated the $400,000 award will be used to continue scaling the LunaPure system as the industry moves closer to operational surface missions.