The crew of the Shenzhou-19 mission has conducted an experiment that could forever change the rules of the game in space exploration. Chinese cosmonauts have, for the first time in the world, successfully synthesized oxygen and rocket fuel components using artificial photosynthesis directly in orbit.
Magic in a Box: How It Works
Chinese cosmonauts aboard the Tiangong space station have successfully tested the experiment, converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. The entire technology fits into a device the size of a small suitcase—a neat box containing semiconductor catalysts that work real magic: they turn carbon dioxide (the very same gas that cosmonauts exhale) and water into oxygen and ethylene.
While the purpose of oxygen is clear—it's what we breathe—ethylene deserves special attention. It is a hydrocarbon that could become the basis for producing rocket fuel. In essence, the cosmonauts have learned to refuel their spacecraft independently, using carbon dioxide. Over 12 experiments, the system has proven its effectiveness.
One could say that the technology developed and tested by the cosmonauts mimics the natural photosynthesis process of green plants, but through specially designed physical and chemical methods. Previously, similar experiments aboard the International Space Station were related to plant cultivation, where cosmonauts studied the effects of microgravity on photosynthesis.
Cosmonauts first began contemplating extraterrestrial artificial photosynthesis back in 2015. Currently, besides producing oxygen and fuel, the specialized device installed on Tiangong helps collect data on multiphase chemical processes under microgravity conditions. Furthermore, the technology can be upgraded and refined to test various catalysts and reactions.
Why This Is a Breakthrough, Not Just Another Experiment
Until now, oxygen on the International Space Station (ISS) was obtained through electrolysis—passing an electric current through water to split it into hydrogen and oxygen. The technology is reliable and proven, but it has one significant drawback: energy consumption. On the ISS, a third of all energy allocated to life support systems goes specifically toward producing air.
The Chinese method of artificial photosynthesis operates at room temperature and normal pressure. This means it consumes significantly less precious electrical energy—and on long-duration flights, every watt counts.
Moreover, the system is versatile. Simply by changing the catalyst settings, one can obtain not only ethylene but also methane or even formic acid (the simplest carboxylic acid). This opens the door not just to fuel production but also to raw materials for creating sugars—in other words, food.
Who Else Is Trying to Breathe in Space
The Chinese experiment is not the only attempt to solve the problem of a closed-loop life support system. The European Space Agency has been developing the MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) project for many years. The program is aimed at developing technology for a future regenerative life support system to sustain human life over the long term in crewed missions. The consortium includes around 50 organizations, including ESA, universities, research centers (such as SCK CEN in Belgium, UAB in Spain), and aerospace companies from Belgium, Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Canada.
In 2024, ESA planned to send the ARTHROSPIRA-C experiment to the ISS, featuring cyanobacteria Limnospira indica. These microorganisms were intended to produce oxygen directly in a bioreactor under microgravity conditions. The Europeans have taken a biological path—using living organisms to regenerate the atmosphere and obtain biomass.
American specialists are also keeping pace: back in 2017, NASA experimented with prototypes of greenhouses for the Moon and Mars. Engineers from the Kennedy Space Center, in collaboration with the University of Arizona, created inflatable modules where plants were grown using LED lighting, designed to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
The Road to the Moon
What is all this for? The answer is simple: without such technologies, neither a long-term habitable complex on the lunar surface nor flights to Mars are possible. Bringing a supply of air and water from Earth for years of travel is physically impossible.
China's achievement is not merely a scientific victory. It is a tangible step toward a lunar landing, which Beijing plans to accomplish by 2030. The ability to produce oxygen and fuel on-site, using local resources (lunar regolith or the Martian atmosphere), is precisely the technology that transforms space expeditions from costly adventures into a sustainable reality.
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