Frazer-Nash Consultancy has published a review of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technology capabilities in the United Kingdom (UK) for the UK Space Agency.
The review, released Oct. 6, drew on a survey of UK organizations and a workshop with them. The report says it is for information only and “does not represent national policy.”
The review’s bottom line is that ISRU, using materials found on the Moon or Mars instead of hauling them from Earth, is “a growing area in the UK with diverse capabilities, albeit with some barriers to overcome.” It identifies prospecting as the UK’s demonstrated strength, finds most of the technology still at early stages of readiness, and says a clear national strategy would help the UK play a key part in NASA and European missions.
UK strengths
Prospecting, the first step in the ISRU process, means identifying and characterizing resources such as ice and minerals. “The UK has demonstrated its strength in prospecting with key projects,” the review concludes.
An Open University instrument flew on Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander in January 2024. The lander never reached the surface, but the instrument, a mass spectrometer that identifies chemicals by their mass, ran for 10 days in space and collected 80 spectra, the report says. Another Open University instrument, ProSPA, a miniature laboratory that analyzes gases from heated soil samples, is scheduled, the report says, to reach the lunar south pole in 2027 on an Intuitive Machines lander.
On extracting oxygen and metal, the review points to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) proposed ISRU Demonstration Mission, a lander-mounted demonstration plant. The review’s conclusions say “the UK is leading the European development with a largely British consortium involved in the ISRU-DM mission.” Its annex, though, says the mission was originally led by Thales Alenia Space UK and is now headed by OHB, with contributions from AVS, Metalysis, the Open University and Redwire Space Europe of Luxembourg. An earlier proof-of-concept study using Metalysis’s molten-salt process achieved 96 per cent oxygen extraction from simulated lunar soil, the report says. The mission is listed as proposed, with no launch date.
The review also says the UK could become a testbed for ISRU technology, using the 21 facilities it lists, though that “would need a driving force and direction from the sector and providers.”
The review stops short of calling the UK a leader. It recommends that the UK Space Agency later decide whether the UK can be considered “a leader in this field,” using criteria from the UK Space Exploration Technology Roadmap.
Early-stage technology
Two-thirds of the 27 UK organizations that responded were companies, most of them small or medium-sized. More than eight in 10 are focused on developing technology for the Moon.
The survey asked each to rate its technology on the technology readiness level scale, known as TRL, where 1 is a basic idea and 9 is proven in flight.
By SpaceQ’s count of the report’s chart, 15 of the 18 technologies reported sat no higher than the middle of the scale. The report calls the pattern a “valley of death,” with few technologies reaching the upper levels.
Respondents listed a “lack of funding pathways” and said funding instability had pushed industry toward single demonstration prototypes rather than repeatable ones. Academics said short contracts for postdoctoral researchers stall projects. Access to test facilities was the other main complaint.
What industry wants
Respondents asked for a UK ISRU strategy, a government-funded first mission, clearer rules on using space resources and shared technical standards. The review’s own conclusion is blunt about the payoff: “A clear UK strategy would broaden visibility, enabling UK strengths in process engineering and materials science to play a critical role.” The report does not say whether the government will act on any of it.
Canada in the review
In its survey of other space agencies’ plans, the review says Canada “has been involved in ISRU related technology development for many years.” It points to the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) Lunar Surface Exploration Initiative, created in 2021 to “advance technologies focused on five fundamental fields for lunar exploration,” one of which was “Mining and In-Situ Resource Utilisation.” The review cites SpaceQ’s December 2023 story on $2.9 million in lunar awards as its source.
The review also notes that the CSA, in partnership with Impact Canada, sponsored a track of the Aqualunar Challenge, an international prize for technologies that purify water buried beneath the Moon’s surface. The UK Space Agency sponsored the UK track. The review concludes that “Canada’s heritage of capability and special status within ESA demonstrate its strategic value as a partner for Europe.”