NASA is offering a $3 million prize to innovators who can help solve a uniquely cosmic problem — how to recycle human waste in space. Through its newly announced LunaRecycle Challenge, the agency is inviting proposals to develop sustainable technology capable of processing astronauts’ feces, urine, and vomit during long-duration space missions or while stationed on the moon.
The initiative comes in response to a growing need for better waste management in space. Since the Apollo missions of 1969, nearly 100 bags of human waste have been left on the moon, and more could accumulate as space exploration advances.
Aiming for sustainable space exploration
NASA’s challenge, launched in partnership with the University of Alabama, is focused not just on sanitation but on sustainability. The agency hopes to reduce the need to bring waste back to Earth and avoid cluttering extraterrestrial environments with food packaging, used clothing, broken tools, and biological waste.
“NASA is committed to sustainable space exploration,” the agency stated. “As we prepare for future human space missions, we need to consider how to minimize various waste streams, including solid waste. Additionally, we must find ways to store, process, and recycle waste in a space environment, so that little or no waste needs to be returned to Earth.”
About the LunaRecycle Challenge
The competition is divided into two distinct tracks and is open to individuals and teams from around the world. Entry is free, and no prior experience with NASA or other space agencies is required.
- Track 1: Participants must design a digital model of a complete resource-recovery system capable of operating under extreme lunar conditions.
- Track 2: Entrants are expected to build and demonstrate a working prototype of a specific component or subsystem that could integrate into such a recovery system.
Both tracks offer monetary rewards, with a combined prize pool of $3 million. Innovators can choose to compete in either one or both tracks.
Future missions to benefit from winning tech
NASA plans to incorporate the best ideas into future lunar and deep-space missions, marking a significant step toward long-term human presence beyond Earth. With growing interest in moon colonization and Mars exploration, waste recycling could become one of the most critical elements of off-world survival.