A methalox rocket is a spacecraft which is propelled by a rocket motor using methane and oxygen (methalox) as its fuel. Methalox is also sometimes referred to as "LOX." Methalox has been described as the "fuel of the future" due to the likelihood that both methane and oxygen will be able to be extracted, processed, and stored for later use in such off-Earth locations as on the surface of the Moon or on Mars. [1] Eventually such capabilities of such off-Earth rocket fuel production in such remote locations could act to roughly halve the fuel carrying capacity requirements of any round trip missions to any such off-Earth locations. By enabling the spacecrafts used on such missions to be refueled by "locally produced fuel" prior to departing on the return legs of their missions, any such missions would only need to carry roughly half as much fuel on their outbound legs.
A methalox rocket is a spacecraft which is propelled by a rocket motor using methane and oxygen (methalox) as its fuel. Methalox is also sometimes referred to as "LOX." Methalox has been described as the "fuel of the future" due to the likelihood that both methane and oxygen will be able to be extracted, processed, and stored for later use in such off-Earth locations as on the surface of the Moon or on Mars. [1] Eventually such capabilities of such off-Earth rocket fuel production in such remote locations could act to roughly halve the fuel carrying capacity requirements of any round trip missions to any such off-Earth locations. By enabling the spacecrafts used on such missions to be refueled by "locally produced fuel" prior to departing on the return legs of their missions, any such missions would only need to carry roughly half as much fuel on their outbound legs.