Integrating Beneficiation into Regolith Conveyance Systems

Abstract

Regolith conveyance includes hauler/dumpers, hoppers, augers, pneumatic transport subsystems, and other elements. The features of the conveyance and the time the material stream spend in conveyance may be used synergistically to perform beneficiation, pre-processing (such as heating), and other tasks, thus reducing the mass and complexity of the overall ISRU system. Since the cost of spaceflight is largely driven by the cost of launching mass out of Earth's gravity well, the conveyance system should be leveraged in this way to the maximum extent.