Immortal Molten Regolith Electrolysis Anode for Oxygen and Metals Extraction from Lunar Regolith (IMMORTAL) (IMMORTAL)

The Immortal Molten Regolith Electrolysis Anode for Oxygen and Metals Extraction from Lunar Regolith (IMMORTAL) project addresses the need for scalable, efficient, and sustainable in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to support long-term lunar and Martian presence. As NASA’s Artemis program and international efforts push for off-world self-sufficiency, reducing Earth dependence and cutting costs is essential. Traditional extraction methods are impractical in extraterrestrial environments due to high energy demands, environmental challenges, and limited adaptability. IMMORTAL’s MRE technology overcomes these barriers with a durable, economical, and process designed to withstand extreme conditions, enabling reliable oxygen, metal and metalloid production. This innovation supports NASA’s STMD sustainability goals while advancing commercial and international space mining efforts.

The IMMORTAL MRE technology can be directly applied for NASA in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) needs for extraction of oxygen and metals from lunar and Martian regolith. The technology supports extraction of oxygen, iron, silicon, magnesium and aluminum while also being able to be used for alloying and melting minerals and oxides. Specific NASA applications include: - Oxygen extraction to support life support systems and rocket propellant production for the Artemis program. - Metal production for constructing habitats, infrastructure, and vehicles on the Moon and Mars. - Enabling long-term human presence on the Moon by reducing logistical dependency on Earth. The IMMORTAL resource extraction technology is planned to be directly commercialized on earth of metals extraction. The process supports green, CO2 free, resource extraction of ferro and non ferro metals including aluminum, iron, magnesium and other metals. Furthermore, the technology can also be applied for alloying and other heating operations in the earth resource extraction industry.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.