Water-to-Fuel: A Space Startup's Bold Test of Rocket Propulsion from H2O

Former SpaceX engineer Halen Mattison and General Galactic plan to launch an 1,100‑pound satellite on Falcon 9 to test turning water into rocket fuel: electrolyze water to hydrogen and oxygen for chemical propulsion, and drive oxygen to plasma for electric propulsion. While the approach could aid in-situ resource use and offer rapid thrust bursts, experts warn about potential electronics corrosion from ionized oxygen and the added mass of the electrolysis system; the concept remains controversial, though research into extracting water and oxygen from lunar or Martian regolith continues.