Two new projects on plasma technologies for Mars exploration
IPFN will coordinate two newly research projects focused on the development of plasma technologies for oxygen production and resource utilisation on Mars: ARES (Applied Research and Engineering for Space Resources) and PERSEUS (Plasma Engineering for Resource Separation and Utilization in Space) represent approximately €370k in combined funding.
The projects build on several years of plasma science research developed within the N-PRiME group at IPFN and will explore complementary approaches to the development of technologies for future space exploration. According to the projects’ coordinator, Tiago Silva, Investigator at N-PRiME/IPFN and Visiting Assistant Professor in the Physics Department at Técnico, the projects represent “an important opportunity to bring new experimental activities to Portugal”.
The ARES project will run for three years and is supported with €150k through the PROSSE programme of the Portuguese Space Agency, under ESA’s PRODEX programme. The project will be developed in collaboration with LEPABE (Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy) and FEUP (at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto).
ARES will investigate the coupling of plasma processes with solid oxide electrolysis cells to explore direct plasma-electrochemical oxygen production from resources available on Mars. The work will focus on the development of the plasma processes and electrochemical systems required for this approach.
The PERSEUS project, funded through the 2026 MIT–Portugal Program Joint Projects call, under the Joint Integrated Proposal track, has been awarded up to $200k in MIT funding and €50k in FCT funding, corresponding to approximately €220k in combined funding. The one-year collaboration with MIT will combine experimental research and modelling of two complementary plasma systems: MW solid-state discharges and dielectric barrier discharges. The project will also strengthen collaboration between the two institutions through student mobility and the exchange of expertise.
Both projects build on research developed within the N-PRiME group and will place a particular focus on advancing experimental activities at IPFN/IST. This includes the development of a plasma reactor specifically designed for applications related to Mars, together with optical diagnostics for the characterisation of the discharges and fundamental studies of pulsed plasmas.
As Tiago Silva explains, “a major focus will be involving students and early-career researchers in the design and operation of a dedicated plasma reactor, as well as in the development of optical diagnostics”.
ARES and PERSEUS are expected to start by the end of 2026.
Picture: Microwave discharge ignited at approximately 5 mbar, simulating the atmospheric pressure of Mars.
