In the past decade, there has been a resurgence of interest in space exploration, both from the commercial sector and government agencies. However, as mission concepts and proposed projects become more ambitious, breakthrough technologies that can reduce the cost of space exploration need to be developed.

In situ resource utilization (ISRU) is one area of space technology that will be critical in the future. Currently, all space exploration missions require every necessary resource to be brought along in the initial launch. For crewed missions, these resources include the propellant, life support, and power systems for the initial and return journey.