A competition consisting of two phases that emphasizes the creation and implementation of recycling solutions aimed at minimizing solid waste and enhancing the sustainability of extended lunar missions
NASA has launched the ambitious LunaRecycle Challenge, offering $3 million to innovators who can develop technology to transform astronaut waste into valuable resources for lunar missions.
Currently, 96 bags of human waste sit abandoned on the moon—relics of the Apollo missions when astronauts planted the American flag, played golf on the lunar surface, and left behind their biological waste in what might be history’s most unusual territorial marker.
This approach is no longer sustainable, as NASA is planning extended lunar missions and potential permanent moon bases. Future astronauts can’t simply leave waste scattered around what will serve as both their home and workplace.
Unlike previous waste management approaches, NASA isn’t seeking better storage solutions. If storage were sufficient, vacuum-sealed containers or burial methods would solve the problem. Instead, the space agency wants transformative technologies that convert human waste—including feces, urine, and vomit—into practical resources such as energy, water, or potentially even food components.
According to NASA’s official announcement, this initiative supports their broader vision of “sustainable space exploration.” The first phase of the competition is already underway, with teams submitting innovative proposals for waste conversion systems.
The winning solution will earn its creators not only the substantial cash prize but also a place in space exploration history. While the challenge might seem undignified at first glance, it addresses a critical obstacle to humanity’s long-term presence beyond Earth. The technologies developed could become essential components of life support systems for lunar bases, Mars missions, and beyond, turning one of spaceflight’s most basic problems into an opportunity for revolutionary innovation.