The chances of recycling garbage, nearly 384,000 kilometres away from Earth, into space can also create a great sustainability approach and is also an unavoidable task. NASA is undergoing preparation to make a long-term presence on the Moon with the support of the Artemis program, an agency that deals with similar challenges, which is managing waste sustainability.
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LunaRecycle Challenge, created by NASA, aiming to address the challenge of managing waste sustainability, is a USD 3 million initiative with a significant focus on developing systems helping the recycling mission directly on the Moon. Instead of bringing that trash back to Earth’s surface, NASA plans to turn it into packaging, leftover experiment materials and worn textiles into beneficial resources.
Being at the early stage, the concept is set to win by transforming the packaging scraps into a raw feedstock for 3D-printed tools, making new textiles from the reprocessed clothes and future repairs from the converted discarded materials. Apart from the physical use of these scraps, NASA is also actively looking to capture water, metals and oxygen, vital for long-term lunar survival.
However, the concept and integration of the space recycling technology can extend beyond lunar missions. In the same closed-loop systems, which are designed for the astronauts, can aid in improving the recycling trajectory in the remote areas, off-grid communities and disaster zones on Earth.
Also read: NASA’s supersonic aircraft clears ‘aluminium bird’ testing, setting up the runway for its first flight
Primary recycled materials generated on Earth are being extensively used in developing aerospace applications. More so, aluminium scraps, reclaimed rare earth magnets, and recycled carbon fibres enable recovery of aluminium alloys and can be further used in critical components, including engine housing, structural parts, airframes and brackets. However, these cannot be deemed as secondary use but are high-performing aerospace systems which are curated from recycled feedstock.
Commercial aerospace manufacturers and the space agencies are currently reevaluating the entire material life cycle. Recycled metals used in building launch components to designing spacesuits alongside the end-of-life recovery, recycling is gaining traction in becoming a design principle, which is not just another afterthought.
Recycling on the Moon alongside the closed-loop resource systems can highly influence the sustainable approach, advanced industries and resilient infrastructure on Earth. An effective recycling process on the Moon ensures advancing circular economy practices on Earth with ample opportunities.
Also read: Aluminium on the moon? Chandrayaan-3’s recent findings can change space science forever
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