NASA's $23 Million Space Toilet Recycles 98% of ISS Water for Mars-Era Missions
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 22
NASA's $23 Million Space Toilet Recycles 98% of ISS Water for Mars-Era Missions
1 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 22
Summary
NASA’s Universal Waste Management System on the ISS now returns about 98 liters of drinkable water from every 100 liters of urine, sweat and breath condensate, a threshold the agency says is critical for long missions.
The $23 million design uses airflow instead of gravity, then a centrifuge, low-pressure distillation, multi-stage filtration and iodine treatment to turn wastewater into potable water cleaner than most U.S. tap supplies.
Two UWMS units were built over six years—one installed on the ISS in 2020 and one flown on Artemis II—while the current station model is smaller, lighter and redesigned to work better for female astronauts.
NASA reached the 98% recovery rate only after decades of failed prototypes and a 2008 ISS system that initially suffered repeated centrifuge shutdowns before later upgrades, including a brine processor, lifted performance.
With the ISS due for deorbit around 2031, the recycling technology is already being adapted for Orion and planned commercial stations because deep-space missions cannot rely on water resupply from Earth.