AtmosphereDemonstration — lab/mission-tested

CO₂ Atmosphere

Global atmosphere (95.3% CO2 by volume)

The gold-plated MOXIE instrument installed in the Perseverance rover, which makes oxygen from Mars CO2 — Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Estimated Quantity

Average 600 Pa surface pressure (0.6% of Earth)

Pressure varies seasonally by ~25% as CO2 freezes/thaws at poles

As of 2021-01-01

Location & ISRU Feasibility

Where

Global (~95% CO₂); demonstrated in situ at Jezero Crater (18.4°N 77.5°E)

Extraction feasibility

High feasibility

Uniformly available everywhere on the surface and the only Mars ISRU feedstock with a flight-proven extraction technology, though scaling to propellant quantities demands substantial continuous power.

Extraction technology

MOXIE demonstrated solid-oxide electrolysis of atmospheric CO₂ into O₂ on Perseverance (2021–2023): 122 g across 16 runs at up to 12 g/hr and 98%+ purity — the first ISRU demonstration on another planet.

Overview

Mars's thin CO2 atmosphere is paradoxically its most abundant ISRU feedstock. NASA's MOXIE instrument on Perseverance demonstrated oxygen production from CO2 in 2021 — the first ISRU demonstration on Mars. Full-scale MOXIE-like system ('MOXIE+') could produce the oxygen needed to fill a Mars Ascent Vehicle propellant tank over 26 months. CO2 can also be processed into CO/O2 bipropellant or combined with electrolyzed H2 to produce methane via Sabatier reaction.

ISRU Application

MOXIE on Perseverance demonstrated O2 production from CO2 via SOXE (solid oxide electrolyzer) — 6g/hour at scale needed for launch propellant means scaling to 25 kg/day for MAV

Reality Check

Atmospheric density is only 0.6% of Earth's — thin enough that large collectors are needed; power requirements are substantial

Sources

[1] NASA JPL (MOXIE) — retrieved 2026-06-13
[2] NASA Perseverance/MOXIE — retrieved 2026-06-01

Confidence: high · Last verified 2026-06-01

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