The Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) instrument is the first example of its kind to produce oxygen on the planet using Martian atmospheric components.
The MOXIE developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology works like a tree, splitting carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere to produce pure oxygen. A small box sent with the Perseverence rover of the NASA.
Inside Moxie, Martian air is first filtered in and pressurised. It is then sent through the Solid Oxide Electrolyzer that electrochemically splits the carbon dioxide-rich air into oxygen ions and carbon monoxide.
The oxygen ions are isolated and recombined to form breathable, molecular oxygen (O2). Finally, the gas is measured and tested for purity before being released into the atmosphere.