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Working in space · in-situ resources

Make the propellant where you land.

Hauling fuel from Earth is the tax the whole chain pays. An autonomous plant mines regolith, splits out its oxygen, and fills a tank on the surface, throttling itself to the power the sun gives, so the depot refills without a launch.

O₂ produced
Power
Efficiency
Tank
Regolith · autonomous excavator
Solar array · power
Electrolysis plant (throttled to power)
Liquid-oxygen tank
array40 kW