"It's an idea that's been around since the Apollo era and has been touted in recent years by the likes of former NASA administrator Bill Nelson and SpaceX's Elon Musk. But here's the thing: No one has ever successfully turned water into rocket fuel, not for a spaceship of any significant size. A startup called General Galactic, led by a pair of twentysomething engineers, is aiming to be the first."
"And if we find that ice in sufficient quantities, we'll break it down into hydrogen and oxygen, and yada yada, we'll use that fuel to fly deeper into the solar system, maybe even to Mars. And if we get to Mars, we'll find even more ice on the Red Planet. We'll mine that, combine it with the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and yada yada, we'll use that to fly the astronauts back."
Long-term space plans assume lunar and Martian ice can be converted into hydrogen and oxygen to refuel spacecraft for deeper missions. No one has yet scaled turning water into rocket fuel for significant spacecraft. General Galactic, founded by young engineers with SpaceX and Varda Space experience, plans an in-orbit demonstration this fall using a 1,100-pound satellite that uses water as its sole propellant. Success could increase satellite maneuverability amid rising space tensions and begin building a refueling network that supports future lunar and Martian exploration and logistics.
Read at WIRED
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