Offre de Stage Master 2: Lunar oxygen production

The objective of the project is to explore an innovative method for producing oxygen on the Moon through concentrated solar pyrolysis of lunar regolith. This process involves heating lunar soil (regolith) to very high temperatures to extract various materials, including the oxygen essential for any lunar base project. A key advantage of this process is that it does not require any resources from Earth. Preliminary studies have been conducted by CNES/ESA, and a Ph.D. student is currently advancing the project at PROMES-CNRS. An initial thermodynamic study has been completed, and a test campaign is underway to gain a better understanding of the pyrolysis reaction. The work will focus on developing and conceptualizing a solar vacuum pyrolysis process to produce both oxygen and metals. This research is expected to open new perspectives for establishing a lunar base by utilizing in-situ resources, supporting further exploration of space.