NASA teams up with energy giant BP to drill for hidden Moon, Mars resources

BP America and NASA have signed an agreement to explore the cosmos and advance energy production on Earth.

Interestingly, BP’s technology may one day enable drilling on Mars or the moon to unlock the hidden resources.

BP has experience carrying out operations in harsh, remote environments of the Earth, while NASA has been operating rovers on the distant surface of Mars.

“Both bp and NASA are custodians of deep technical expertise, working in extreme environments – whether that’s at the bottom of the ocean or on the moon. Sharing what we know with each other will help us solve complex engineering problems faster, meaning we can focus on keeping energy flowing safely and delivering higher margins with lower emissions,” said Giovanni Cristofoli, bp’s SVP.

This deal falls under the Space Act Agreement, which allows NASA to collaborate with various entities to advance its mission objectives.

Hidden resources on Moon and Mars

This partnership will enable them to test new technology on Mars before it ever leaves Earth. This is where digital modeling and simulation come in.

This agreement will enable the use of digital models and simulations to visualize equipment in challenging, remote locations.

This allows engineers and scientists to digitally test new equipment in circumstances akin to those found 14,000 feet underground or a million miles distant on another planet.

Recent scientific findings suggest that vast amounts of water could be trapped deep beneath the Martian surface. Interestingly, this underground water source could potentially cover the entire planet with a mile-deep ocean.

While this find is thrilling, the potential water remains deep beneath the surface. This presents a significant challenge for human exploration, requiring advanced drilling capabilities.

Through this collaboration, NASA may develop the technology to access and extract water from this deep reservoir for future human settlement.

On the other side, it might aid in the extraction of lunar resources such as water ice, which is important for human existence and rocket fuel generation. The moon is also reported to have abundant metal resources such as iron, titanium, and aluminum.

NASA collaborates with BP

This collaboration is expected to drive progress in both Earth-based energy solutions and human spaceflight initiatives, targeting the Moon, and Mars.

It may pave the way for joint research and development in hydrogen, regenerative fuel cells, high-capacity batteries, solar energy, and small-scale nuclear power.

“bp has built a proud legacy of technological innovation as we deliver the energy the world needs today while investing in the energy system of tomorrow,”  said Ken Nguyen, Principal Technical Program Manager at bp, in the press release .

Nguyen added: “As NASA pursues a sustained presence on the Moon and Mars, we see a unique opportunity for bp and NASA to work collaboratively on the forefront of digital technology that will cultivate further innovation in energy and space.”

According to a report by the Guardian, the BP-NASA agreement comes on the heels of the UK Space Agency’s support for Rolls-Royce’s research into small-scale nuclear reactors for lunar exploration.

It would be interesting to see what this new partnership further brings to the table.