Chinese Astronauts Create Rocket Fuel in Space Using "Artificial Photosynthesis"

Breathing New Air

Chinese astronauts claim to have created rocket fuel on board the country's Tiangong space station using a new process dubbed "artificial photosynthesis."

As the South China Morning Post reports, space travelers from the current Shenzhou-19 mission produced the necessary ingredients of rocket fuel, as well as oxygen, another useful resource in space.

The team used semiconductor catalysts to turn carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and ethylene, a hydrocarbon commonly used to produce spacecraft propellants, according to the SCMP.

"This technology mimics the natural photosynthesis process of green plants through engineered physical and chemical methods, utilizing carbon dioxide resources in confined spaces or extraterrestrial atmospheres to produce oxygen and carbon-based fuels," state-run news broadcaster CCTV explained earlier this month, as quoted by the newspaper.

The experiment could lay important groundwork for our efforts to turn in-situ resources in faraway places into a source of breathable air and rocket fuel that future interplanetary space travel may require.

"The work is expected to provide critical technical support for human survival and exploration in outer space," the CCTV report reads.

Moon Fuel

The idea of using semiconductor catalysts differs from other conventional oxygen-producing techniques, such as electrolysis on board the International Space Station, which is used to turn solar energy into a supply of breathable air.

Experts have generally found that electrolysis is too energy intensive for long-distance space travel. By using semiconductor catalysts instead, Chinese researchers hope to convert carbon dioxide at both room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure, thereby requiring far less energy.

However, details regarding the experiments remain slim, and it's still unclear just how feasible the concept actually is, especially in extremely remote and hostile landscapes like the surface of Mars.

But if confirmed, the concept could give future Chinese space explorers a major leg up. The country is hoping to build a base near the Moon's south pole by 2035, an endeavor that will require a steady and reliable source of breathable oxygen — not to mention rocket fuel for the trip back to Earth.

More on China's space station: Watch Astronauts Give a Rare Tour of China's Luxurious Space Station