NASA announced the development of an innovative autonomous robot IPEx (In-Situ Resource Utilization Pilot Excavator). Its purpose is to collect vital resources on the Moon.

Regolith contains about 40% oxygen in the form of oxides, which can be used not only for breathing astronauts, but also as a component of rocket fuel. In addition, the moon's polar regions contain hydrogen and water in the form of ice, which can be processed into drinking water and fuel.

The IPEx is a hybrid of a bulldozer and a dump truck. It is capable of autonomously digging, collecting and transporting regolith. Its unique design with rotating bucket drums significantly reduces energy costs and allows for up to 10,000 kilograms of regolith to be mined in 1 lunar day. This far exceeds the results of previous missions that could only extract small amounts of material. Equipped with an advanced vision system and intelligent sensors, IPEx will be able to adapt to the Moon's extreme conditions, including extreme temperature variations and loose soil.

The IPEx is planned to become a key tool for extracting and transporting valuable materials directly from the lunar surface. The success of this project could become the basis for the creation of permanent lunar bases where astronauts can produce their own oxygen and fuel, reducing dependence on supplies from Earth