Japan’s Water Recycling Technology Goes to Space
This high-performance water recovery system from Japan takes the urine of astronauts living on the ISS at an altitude of roughly 400 km above Earth and recycles it into drinking water.
Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, 52, has begun his six-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS). Among the many missions assigned to him, one of the most noteworthy is the demonstration of a system for recycling water, a precious commodity in space, on the Japanese Experiment Module, known as Kibo.
Japan has considerable expertise in water recovery technology. If this system, with its high recovery rate, can be put into practical use following Hoshide’s experiments, it would be a great contribution to the “lifestyle infrastructure” required for humans to stay in space for long periods of time.
Using this water recovery system, the urine of astronauts living on the ISS at an altitude of roughly 400 km above Earth will be recycled into drinking water.
