NASA Selects SwRI and UTSA to Test Electrolyzer Tech on Parabolic Flights

NASA’s TechLeap Prize program has awarded $500,000 to Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) to test innovative electrolyzer technology in flight. This technology aims to enhance the production of propellants and life-support materials for use on the Moon, Mars, or near-Earth asteroids. The project, called the Mars Atmospheric Reactor for Synthesis of Consumables (MARS-C), is being led by SwRI’s Kevin Supak and Dr. Eugene Hoffman, along with UTSA’s Dr. Shrihari “Shri” Sankarasubramanian.

The TechLeap Prize program is aimed at advancing groundbreaking technologies that fill critical gaps in NASA’s capabilities, supporting future space missions. The SwRI/UTSA team is among nine selected recipients awarded funding to test their experimental payloads through suborbital, hosted orbital, or parabolic flights. The initiative is structured to fast-track the development process, with the goal of completing testing within one year of receiving the award.

SwRI and UTSA will assess the performance of a patent-pending electrolyzer developed with NASA’s backing by Dr. Shrihari Sankarasubramanian, an assistant professor in UTSA’s Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, and his team. The system works by applying voltage between two electrodes to convert simulated Martian brine and carbon dioxide into methane and other hydrocarbons through electrochemical reactions. This innovation is intended to enable the use of local resources on the Moon or Mars to generate fuel, oxygen, and other essential compounds for sustaining long-term human presence.

This project builds on earlier research by SwRI, which explored how liquids boil under partial gravity conditions during parabolic flights. That work aimed to better understand fluid behavior on the Moon or Mars and showed that partial gravity impacts how bubbles form and move—factors that influence gas production in chemical processes.

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“In environments like the Moon or Mars, lower gravity reduces the buoyancy of gas bubbles in electrolyzers, presenting challenges we don’t face on Earth,” explained Kevin Supak. “There’s still a lot we don’t know about chemical reactions that rely on bubble formation in low gravity—this is the knowledge gap we’re trying to close.”

To tackle this issue, SwRI and UTSA will install the electrolyzer into a flight-ready rig developed by SwRI and test it during a parabolic flight. This approach builds on SwRI’s extensive experience with reduced-gravity testing aboard aircraft and suborbital vehicles.

“During the parabolic flight, we plan to record videos of bubble formation and fluid movement inside the working electrolyzer,” said Dr. Sankarasubramanian.

“These observations will be crucial for improving the efficiency and performance of the technology.”

Once the flight rig is completed, SwRI will first conduct ground tests to finalize procedures and ensure readiness. The parabolic flight demonstration is scheduled for 2026.

“Humans are naturally driven to explore and expand the limits of what can be achieved,” Supak said. “Space exploration acts as a powerful catalyst for technological progress, often leading to unexpected innovations that enhance everyday life. Creating permanent settlements on other planets could unlock groundbreaking scientific insights and transformative technologies.”