Honda has partnered with space technology companies Sierra Space and Tec-Masters to trial its high-differential pressure water electrolysis system on the International Space Station (ISS).
The project is part of its plan to test regenerative fuel cell technology that can produce hydrogen, oxygen and electricity to support a human settlement on the moon and ultimately on Earth.
Honda will test the process in the microgravity environment of ISS and will work with NASA to transport the technology using Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane.
This comes amidst a drive to create a reliable and renewable source of oxygen and electricity in space to help establish habitat away from Earth.
The test also follows scientific research which has shown that creating oxygen through electrolysis in a lunar environment yields 11% less oxygen than the same process on Earth due to the difference in gravity.