Chinese Astronauts Make Rocket Fuel and Oxygen in Space Using 1st-of-Its-Kind ‘Artificial Photosynthesis’
28th August 2025
Chinese astronauts have just created rocket fuel and oxygen in space using a new type of “artificial photosynthesis.” The breakthrough technology, which used fairly basic equipment and minimal energy, could one day be put to use on China’s proposed moon base, which is scheduled to be completed within a decade.
The new experiments were carried out by members of the Shenzhou-19 crew living on board China’s Tiangong space station (meaning “heavenly palace” in Chinese), which has been fully operational in low-Earth orbit since November 2022
The artificial photosynthesis technology, which has been in development since 2015, converts carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and rocket fuel ingredients using a simple “drawer-like” apparatus and a “semiconductor catalyst,” according to Interesting Engineering. This is a similar reaction to photosynthesis in plants, which produces glucose instead of rocket fuel.