The Concept
The W2R architecture combines plasma pyrolysis, solid-oxide electrolysis, additive manufacturing, and safe residual-waste handling to transform mixed lunar-habitat waste into recoverable gases, manufacturing feedstocks, and structural material.
Controls and Digital Twin
An EPICS supervisory layer coordinates equipment state, telemetry, alarms, protection interfaces, and material flow. A Python-based digital twin is proposed to estimate mass and energy balances, compare observed and predicted behavior, explore failures, support predictive maintenance, and schedule processing around limited lunar power availability.
Project Status and Provenance
This was developed independently as a conceptual response to NASA's LunaRecycle Challenge and aligned with Artemis sustainability objectives. It has not been built, awarded, commissioned, or endorsed by NASA. Performance claims in the proposal are design targets and engineering estimates requiring prototype validation.
ENGINEERING INSIGHT
For autonomous resource processing, the twin should reconcile material, energy, equipment health, and mission constraints—not merely visualize telemetry.