A Rocket Refueling Station on Mars Might Look Like This
A Rocket Refueling Station on Mars Might Look Like This
NEW YORK — Air Company, a New York City-based startup that turns carbon dioxide into renewable products, has released concept images showing what a refueling station for rockets on Mars could look like.
The renderings show fuel storage tanks and a rocket return launch pad as well as astronauts and a rover.
Air Company last week announced plans to create rocket fuel from carbon dioxide.
Such a technology would be vital for a sustainable habitat on the red planet.
It would also greatly reduce the carbon footprint of space exploration on Earth.
The company has already received two awards and a grant from NASA for its work on carbon conversion technology.
Air Company says it has developed a working prototype that would take water from Mars' ice deposits and carbon dioxide from its atmosphere to produce liquid oxygen and liquid methane.
In interviews with Fast Company and Inverse, company officials say they hope to work with industry players such as SpaceX and Blue Origin to deploy the technology on a space station or Mars in the near future.
