NASA's Plan to Build a Gas Pipeline on the Moon Surprises

The project, called the Lunar South Pole Oxygen Pipeline (L-SPoP), promises to revolutionize operations on the Moon, solving the difficult problem of cost and risk of transporting oxygen from Earth.

NASA's Artemis program, which aims to build a permanent base on the Moon, is taking an ambitious step forward with plans to build an oxygen pipeline on the moon's surface. Called the "Lunar South Pole Oxygen Pipeline" (L-SPoP), the project would solve the problem of expensive and complex oxygen transport from Earth, a key factor for the program's sustainability.

Because Artemis’ sustainability depends entirely on the ability to utilize local resources, NASA has invested heavily in technology to extract oxygen from regolith and frozen water, with plans for large-scale deployment in 2024 and support for Artemis astronauts starting in 2026. The current method — bottling or liquefying oxygen and transporting it — is expensive and complicated due to the long distances between extraction sites and bases.

Illustration photo.

L-SPoP would overcome this with a 5km pipeline system that would transport oxygen directly from its production source to storage or liquefaction facilities near the base. The pipeline would be constructed using locally produced sections of lunar aluminium, an abundant resource at the south pole.

The L-SPoP system is designed with robotic construction and repair capabilities, an oxygen flow of approximately 2kg/h, low energy consumption and an expected lifespan of over 10 years. The modularity of the design ensures easy adaptability, repair and upgrade, minimizing dependence on supplies from Earth.

NASA expects L-SPoP to be an important element for a long-term and sustainable human presence on the Moon, paving the way for future deep space exploration missions. This is an important step forward, not only in terms of technology, but also demonstrating NASA's vision and determination in conquering space.

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