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NASA is stepping up its efforts to address a critical issue for future space exploration: managing waste during long-term lunar missions. As part of its Artemis program, NASA has launched the LunaRecycle Challenge, offering up to $3 million in prize money for innovative solutions that could revolutionize how astronauts handle trash in space.

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One of the major challenges for prolonged lunar missions is the buildup of waste. Not only does trash take up valuable space, but improperly managed waste could also pose a health hazard or affect the sustainability of missions. NASA is seeking to push the boundaries of recycling technology to ensure that long-duration space missions become more sustainable by reducing the amount of waste created and efficiently reusing resources.

A Two-Phase Competition

The LunaRecycle Challenge is divided into two phases. In Phase 1, teams must design physical hardware and create a digital twin or virtual prototype. The goal is to address waste management in a hypothetical 365-day lunar mission, with technical requirements provided by NASA. The designs must tackle the problem of how to handle the various types of waste that astronauts generate, from food packaging to human waste and other materials that build up over time. Teams will need to propose creative methods for recycling and reusing as much of the waste as possible.

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Teams competing in Phase 1 must submit their proposals by March 31, 2025, and NASA will select the best designs by May of that year. Winning teams will be awarded $600,000 for the best physical prototype and $400,000 for the best digital twin. The most successful designs will then move on to Phase 2, where teams will build a functioning prototype of their system based on their Phase 1 designs. In Phase 2, the prize money increases significantly: $1.4 million for the best physical prototype and $600,000 for the best digital twin.

Recycling Technology for Space and Earth

While the LunaRecycle Challenge is aimed at solving a space-based problem, NASA hopes that the technology developed through this competition will also have broader applications here on Earth. Recycling technology that works in the harsh environment of space, where resources are scarce and sustainability is key, could lead to more efficient and effective recycling methods that benefit communities on Earth. NASA has expressed interest in seeing how this challenge could influence new processes that improve efficiency, reduce toxic outputs, or create small-scale technologies that can be used globally.

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