Asteroid Volatile Extraction and Recovery System

Written By Johnathan McGary

White Paper: McGary Asteroid Volatile Extraction and Recovery System (MAVERS)

© 2025 McGary. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.
To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.
You are free to share, adapt, and use this work for any purpose, including commercial, provided you give appropriate credit to McGary, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. No additional restrictions may be applied.

Executive Summary

The McGary Asteroid Volatile Extraction and Recovery System (MAVERS) is an innovative method for mining volatiles, primarily water, from carbonaceous near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). MAVERS envelops a small asteroid (10–20 m diameter) or a surface patch in a high-strength Mylar bag, pressurizes it to 0.1–1 kPa, heats the interior to 100–200°C to sublimate volatiles, and collects the resulting steam in a vacuum chamber for condensation. Yielding ~100 kg water/day per unit, MAVERS supports in-space propellant production, life support, and chemical feedstocks, reducing reliance on Earth-launched resources. Built on 2025 technologies (e.g., Mylar films, solar concentrators, autonomous robotics), MAVERS offers a scalable, low-mass solution for space industrialization. This paper outlines its technical feasibility, operational framework, and economic potential.

1. Introduction

Asteroid mining is critical for sustainable space exploration, with C-type NEAs offering 5–20% water content for propellant and life support. Traditional methods (e.g., drilling) struggle with microgravity and vapor loss. MAVERS addresses these by encapsulating the asteroid in a sealed, pressurized bag, creating a controlled environment for volatile extraction. This white paper presents MAVERS as a novel, commercially viable system, leveraging existing technologies to enable a new era of in-space resource utilization.

2. Scientific and Technical Basis

2.1 Asteroid Composition

C-type NEAs (e.g., Bennu, Ryugu) contain hydrated minerals with 5–20% water, plus CO₂ and methane. A 10 m asteroid (~4,000 tons at 1 g/cm³) could yield 200–800 tons of water, as confirmed by OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2 missions.

2.2 Extraction Principle

MAVERS uses thermal sublimation in a low-pressure (0.1–1 kPa) Mylar bag to vaporize volatiles. The bag traps heat, and a vacuum chamber condenses steam at 0–10°C. A 500 Pa pressure differential channels vapor efficiently, based on vacuum distillation principles.

2.3 Technology Readiness

  • Materials: Mylar/Kapton (TRL 9, solar sails, ISS shielding) for bags; Kevlar for tanks (TRL 9).

  • Heating: Solar concentrators (TRL 6, TransAstra) and resistive heaters (TRL 9, ISS).

  • Robotics: Autonomous deployment (TRL 7, Archinaut, Hayabusa2).

  • Condensation: Cryocoolers (TRL 8, ISS water recycling).

  • Power: Solar arrays (TRL 9, ROSA) and Kilopower reactors (TRL 5–6).

3. System Design

3.1 Enveloping System

  • Bag: 500 m² Mylar (1 mm thick, ~50 kg) for a 10 m asteroid or 10x10 m patch. Multi-layer design mitigates micrometeorite punctures.

  • Deployment: Two 100 kg drones (TRL 7) unfold and anchor the bag with harpoons (TRL 7).

3.2 Pressurization

  • Gas: 5 kg nitrogen or asteroid-derived CO₂ for 0.1 kPa. Electric pumps (TRL 9, 1 kW) regulate pressure.

  • Control: AI-driven sensors (TRL 8) monitor and adjust pressure.

3.3 Heating

  • Source: 10 kW solar concentrators or resistive heaters, powered by 15 kW solar arrays or 10 kW Kilopower reactor.

  • Process: Heat surface to 150°C, yielding 100 kg water/day per ton of regolith (1.5 GJ, ~40 hours).

3.4 Volatile Collection

  • Vacuum Chamber: 1 m³, 100 kg, with cryocoolers condensing steam. Gases stored in cylinders.

  • Transport: 50 kg ion pods (TRL 7) shuttle tanks to a 100–1000 km orbital hub.

4. Operational Framework

4.1 Mission Profile

  • Target: 10 m C-type NEA (10% water, ~400 tons).

  • Timeline:

    • 2027: Launch (Starship, ~$10M), deploy 200 kg MAVERS unit.

    • 2028: Extract 3 tons water/month.

    • 2030: Scale to 5 units, 15 tons/month.

  • Output: Water for propellant, life support, or shielding.

4.2 Orbital Hub

A 15-ton hub receives tanks, processes water into fuel, and supports 3D printing of metal components (e.g., wire from residual metals).

5. Advantages

  • Containment: Bag prevents vapor loss in microgravity.

  • Simplicity: Fewer components than drilling systems.

  • Scalability: Modular design for multiple asteroids.

  • Commercial Potential: Supports propellant markets and space infrastructure.

6. Challenges and Mitigations

  • Deployment: Irregular shapes complicate bagging. Use AI robotics and modular panels.

  • Leaks: Micrometeorites risk punctures. Use multi-layer, self-sealing Mylar.

  • Energy: 10–20 kW limits throughput. Scale with additional power units.

  • Cost: ~$100M initial investment, offset by commercial partnerships (e.g., SpaceX).

7. Economic and Strategic Impact

  • Cost Savings: 1 ton water saves ~$3.6M in launch costs (2018 estimate, $3,645/kg to LEO).

  • Market: Propellant, life support, and infrastructure for commercial space (e.g., Artemis, SpaceX).

  • Commercial Use: CC BY 4.0 enables companies to adapt MAVERS, fostering innovation.

8. Legal and Ethical Considerations

  • Compliance: Aligns with Outer Space Treaty and Artemis Accords, minimizing debris.

  • Ethics: Open licensing promotes equitable access to space resources.

9. Conclusion

MAVERS is a feasible, scalable solution for asteroid volatile extraction, leveraging 2025 technologies. Its open CC BY 4.0 license encourages commercial and research adoption, driving space industrialization.

Engineering Paper: McGary Asteroid Volatile Extraction and Recovery System (MAVERS)

© 2025 McGary. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.
To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.
You are free to share, adapt, and use this work for any purpose, including commercial, provided you give appropriate credit to McGary, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. No additional restrictions may be applied.

Abstract

The McGary Asteroid Volatile Extraction and Recovery System (MAVERS) extracts water and volatiles from C-type near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) by enveloping a 10–20 m asteroid or surface patch in a Mylar bag, pressurizing to 0.1–1 kPa, heating to 100–200°C, and condensing steam in a vacuum chamber. Yielding ~100 kg water/day per unit, MAVERS supports in-space propellant and life support. This paper details the system’s engineering design, performance, and challenges, grounded in 2025 technology (TRL 5–9).

1. Introduction

C-type NEAs offer 5–20% water, critical for space exploration. MAVERS uses a novel bagging approach to capture volatiles in microgravity, improving on drilling or open thermal methods. This paper provides a technical blueprint for MAVERS, validated against current capabilities.

2. System Design

2.1 Bag and Deployment

  • Material: Mylar (TRL 9, 200 MPa, 400°C tolerance), 500 m², 1 mm thick (~50 kg) for a 10 m asteroid.

  • Deployment: Two 100 kg drones (TRL 7, Archinaut-based) unfold bag, secured by 10 harpoons (TRL 7). AI (TRL 8) adjusts for irregular shapes.

  • Sealing: Laser-welded seams, self-sealing layers (TRL 7).

2.2 Pressurization

  • Gas: 5 kg nitrogen or CO₂ for 0.1 kPa in 4,000 m³. Electric pumps (TRL 9, 1 kW) regulate pressure.

  • Control: AI sensors (TRL 8) monitor leaks.

2.3 Heating

  • Source: 10 kW solar concentrator (TRL 6) or resistive heaters, powered by 15 kW solar arrays (TRL 9) or 10 kW Kilopower (TRL 5–6).

  • Thermal Model: 1 ton regolith (10% water) heated to 150°C requires 1.5 GJ (~40 hours at 10 kW). Output: 100 kg water/day.

  • Cooling: Carbon-fiber heat pipes (TRL 9).

2.4 Volatile Collection

  • Vacuum Chamber: 1 m³, 100 kg, with cryocoolers (TRL 8) condensing steam. 500 Pa differential channels vapor.

  • Storage: 10 kg Kevlar tanks (TRL 9) hold 100 kg water; cylinders store gases.

  • Transport: 50 kg ion pods (TRL 7, 400 m/s delta-V) to a 1000 km hub.

3. Performance Metrics

  • Yield: 100 kg water/day (3 tons/month) for a 10 m asteroid (10% water).

  • Energy: 1.5 GJ/ton regolith.

  • Mass: 350 kg (50 kg bag, 200 kg drones, 100 kg chamber/pumps).

  • Cost: ~$100M (launch: $10M; system: $90M).

4. Engineering Challenges

  • Microgravity Deployment: Addressed by AI-driven drones and modular panels.

  • Leaks: Mitigated by multi-layer, self-sealing Mylar.

  • Energy: Scaled with additional solar/nuclear units.

  • Thermal Management: Robust radiators handle heat dissipation.

5. Validation and Testing

  • Ground Tests: Vacuum chamber simulations (TRL 4, 2025).

  • LEO Tests: CubeSat prototype (TRL 5–6, 2027).

  • Asteroid Demo: 10 m NEA (TRL 7, 2028).

6. Integration with Fabrication

Residual metals are smelted into 1 mm wire (~2,800 m/day at 25 kg/day) using a 5 kW electromagnetic furnace (TRL 6). Wire is shuttled to an orbital hub for 3D printing (TRL 7).

7. Conclusion

MAVERS is a technically feasible system for asteroid volatile extraction, leveraging 2025 technologies. The CC BY 4.0 license enables commercial adoption, fostering innovation in space resource utilization.

Johnathan McGary
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