ARIA-Harvester
In-Situ Resource Extraction Agent — In-Situ Resource Utilization Division
Program Overview
ARIA-Harvester — Autonomous Resource Intelligence Agent — will be OrbitExSpace's primary in-situ resource utilization platform. Designed for sustained, unattended extraction and processing operations, ARIA-Harvester will be the foundational infrastructure unit for making the lunar surface self-sustaining across OEX long-duration programs.
The platform will operate as a fully autonomous mining and processing facility. It will require no human operator intervention for routine extraction cycles. Mission parameters will be updated remotely on a weekly planning cadence from OEX Lunar Mission Control.
Department
In-Situ Resource Utilization Division
Primary Output
O2, Fe, Al, Si feedstock
Mission Duration
Indefinite — rolling maintenance
O2 Target Output
~200 kg/month at full operations
Technical Specifications
Chassis
Tracked heavy-frame, titanium alloy
Mass
~1,850 kg (with drill assembly)
Power Source
Multi-mission RTG + solar supplement
Extraction Rate
Up to 1,000 kg regolith/sol
Drill System
Rotary-percussive, 3 m depth capacity
Processing Onboard
Electrolysis O2 separation unit
AI Architecture
Neural Autonomy v4, ISRU task stack
Operating Temp
–180°C to +130°C operational range
Operational Duties
Regolith Excavation
ARIA-Harvester will continuously excavate lunar regolith from pre-surveyed deposits, operating on an autonomous 22-hour extraction cycle. Material volume and mineral composition data will be logged and uplinked after each completed cycle.
Oxygen Extraction
The vehicle will process excavated regolith through its onboard molten electrolysis unit to separate bound oxygen from ilmenite and other oxide minerals. Extracted O2 will be compressed and stored in surface-mounted cryogenic tanks for mission use.
Metal Feedstock Recovery
Alongside oxygen, ARIA-Harvester will recover iron, aluminium, and silicon as byproduct feedstocks. These materials will be staged for use by future in-situ manufacturing systems at the OEX Lunar Surface Node.
Day-Night Cycle Operation
Powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, ARIA-Harvester will operate continuously through the 14-day lunar night without interruption, unlike solar-only platforms. This will make it the only OEX lunar asset capable of unbroken operations.
Site Preparation
Between extraction cycles, ARIA-Harvester will grade and compact regolith surfaces designated for landing pads, roadways, and habitat foundation areas, reducing dust hazards and improving structural load-bearing capacity.