Water on the Moon: international prize launches for purifying lunar water
The joint UK-Canada £1.2 million Aqualunar Challenge is launching to support development of water-purifying technologies for the Moon.
- 62% believe that technologies designed for space exploration should have applications here on Earth, with more than half (56%) believing that using technology in space means we can better understand our own planet and how to protect it.
- The research marks the launch of the Aqualunar Challenge – a £1.2m international prize funded by the UK Space Agency’s International Bilateral Fund and delivered by Challenge Works.
- The Aqualunar Challenge will award UK-led start-ups with seed funding to develop technologies to purify ice buried beneath the Moon’s surface to make human habitation on the Moon viable.
Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) people in the UK believe that developing technology for the harsh environment of space could help us back on Earth, with more than half (56%) believing that using technology in space means we can better understand our own planet and how to protect it.
The new research from Challenge Works and the UK Space Agency marks the launch of the £1.2 million Aqualunar Challenge. The new international challenge prize – in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency and Impact Canada – is rewarding the design of innovative technologies to make human habitation on the Moon viable by finding ways to purify water buried beneath the lunar surface.
The research of 2,000 adults in the UK conducted by polling agency Opinium found that 62% of people believe that technologies designed for space exploration should have applications here on Earth, with more than half (51%) saying technologies designed for the Moon should prioritise sustainability.
86% of respondents said they would like to see technologies being developed to purify lunar water adapted for use on Earth. Top priorities include removing microplastics from the oceans, providing clean drinking water in low-income countries and drought prone areas. This underscores a desire to address environmental challenges with space-derived solutions.
Lunar sustainability
The UK has been a signatory of the Artemis Accords with NASA and partner space agencies around the world since 2020. The Accords are a set of principles developed by the US – in collaboration with the UK and Canada and spacefaring nations including Japan, Australia, Italy and the UAE – to ensure a shared understanding of safe operations, use of space resources, minimising space debris and sharing scientific data.
The support for lunar sustainability is reflected in the research as 8 in 10 (78%) of people believe that it is important that we use the Moon’s resources responsibly, while more than three-quarters (76%) say that exploration of the Moon should do minimal damage to the lunar environment.
When it comes to water on the Moon and international collaboration, 8 in 10 (79%) believe that no single country has a right to it, and more than two-thirds (68%) believe that exploration and settlement of the Moon should be an international effort.
Article written by GOV. Read the full article here.
