In collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency and Impact Canada, Challenge Works and the UK Space Agency have launched the £1.2 million Aqualunar Challenge, which will ‘reward the design of technologies’ that could make make human habitation on the Moon viable by finding ways to purify water buried beneath the lunar surface.

The Challenge follows research in the UK that statistically found that 62% of people believe that technologies designed for space exploration should have applications here on Earth, with 51% saying technologies designed for the Moon should prioritise sustainability. Furthermore, 86% of respondents said they would like to see technologies being developed to purify lunar water adapted for use on Earth — such as removing microplastics from the oceans, providing clean drinking water in low-income countries and drought prone areas.

Andrew Griffith, Minister for Space at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said: “The UK has always been the home of great ideas, and by backing UK start-ups to develop innovative technologies, long-term missions on the Moon may be possible. The Aqualunar Challenge demonstrates our commitment to collaborating on space innovation, unlocking commercial opportunities, supporting exploration of the Moon, and building on our important relationship with Canada.”

Paul Bate, the UK Space Agency’s CEO, added: “Technologies developed for space exploration have a successful history of finding new uses on Earth. The UK is playing an important role in the NASA-led Artemis Missions, which aim to establish a permanent crewed base on the Moon’s surface by the end of the decade. This will only be possible if astronauts have reliable access to water; and it is far better to source that water on the Moon than to send it up from Earth.”

Meanwhile, Holly Jamieson — Challenge Works’ executive director — said: “To survive on the Moon, astronauts will need water to drink and to grow food. Water molecules — H₂O — can also be split to produce oxygen to make breathable air and hydrogen for fuel. For a long-term lunar base to be viable we will need alternatives to sending deliveries of water, food, air, and fuel in rockets from Earth. The Aqualunar Challenge is calling on innovators, start-ups, scientists, academics, engineers, and problem solvers to submit their ideas — whether they have worked in the space sector previously or not.”