Toaster-sized MOXIE proves Mars air can yield oxygen on-site
NASA’s MOXIE instrument, a toaster-sized unit aboard the Perseverance rover, converted Martian CO2 into 122 grams of oxygen from 2021–2023—enough for a small dog to breathe for about 10 hours—demonstrating on-site oxygen production from Mars’ atmosphere. It produced up to 12 g/hour at 98% purity, but remains a technology demonstration, not a full-scale plant. A future system would need to scale to kilograms-per-hour production with tens of kilowatts of power and storage to support breathable oxygen and rocket propellant for a crewed Mars mission.