In-Situ Resource Utilization
In-Situ Resource Utilization
Research on extracting and processing resources from Venus's atmosphere for fuel production, life support, and industrial applications.
isruatmospheric-miningfuel-productiondeuterium
In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)
Venus’s atmosphere is a chemical treasure trove. At 92 bar surface pressure and rich in CO₂, sulfuric acid, and trace elements, it offers unique opportunities for atmospheric mining and fuel production.
Key Research Areas
Atmospheric Composition
- CO₂ dominance (~96.5%) enables methalox production
- Sulfuric acid clouds (H₂SO₄) provide hydrogen and sulfur
- Deuterium enrichment in mesosphere
Fuel Production Pathways
- Methalox - CH₄ + O₂ from CO₂ and H₂SO₄ processing
- Hydrolox - H₂ + O₂ from water extraction
- Deuterium - Heavy hydrogen from mesospheric harvesting
Economic Analysis
Comparing Venus ISRU economics to terrestrial energy infrastructure helps ground feasibility studies in real-world benchmarks.
Related Work
See also the Atmosphere section for wind dynamics and boundary layer studies relevant to balloon-based ISRU platforms.