SpaceMiningData
Research institutionUnited StatesUnknown

Colorado School of Mines

U.S. research university included for the Ice Diggers lunar-excavation research team with Lunar Outpost. Its February 2024 report describes a terrestrial prototype trial that excavated more than 12 metric tons of concrete, and a third-place semifinal finish with a $125,000 team prize in NASA's Break the Ice Lunar Challenge. This was ground testing for icy-regolith handling, not extraction of water or operation on the Moon.

Targeted

An organization's level is recorded separately and is not a ranking of its linked missions' results. How the ladder works.

Resources and evidence

Each resource shows the highest step primary sources support. How the ladder works.

ResourceEvidenceMeaning
RegolithTargetedwork aimed at it
Water iceTargetedwork aimed at it

Demonstrated

The university reports a terrestrial concrete-excavation prototype test; no water production or lunar operation is established.

Claimed or planned

U.S. research university included for the Ice Diggers lunar-excavation research team with Lunar Outpost. Its February 2024 report describes a terrestrial prototype trial that excavated more than 12 metric tons of concrete, and a third-place semifinal finish with a $125,000 team prize in NASA's Break the Ice Lunar Challenge. This was ground testing for icy-regolith handling, not extraction of water or operation on the Moon.

Facts

Headquarters
United States
Type
Research institution
Status
UnknownStatus date not recorded. The university's 13 February 2024 report identifies team membership and the Phase 2 Level 2 ground-test result. NASA's challenge-results paper independently identifies the Ice Diggers and the Colorado School of Mines/Lunar Outpost team. Current research-project or institutional legal status was not separately established in this scoped review; unknown does not mean inactive.
Roles
Extraction
Targets
Moon
Website
www.mines.edu/

Open evidence gaps

  • The $125,000 was a team semifinal prize, not company funding or a final-competition award. No split between Mines and Lunar Outpost is recorded.
  • Concrete excavation is a terrestrial analogue; no ice recovery, lunar extraction or lunar flight is established.
  • The university's wider space-resources programme, founding year and current project outcomes were not reviewed.

Sources

6 excerpts from 2 publications

One web address counts as one publication.

  1. [1]Mines, Lunar Outpost team heading to finals in NASA's Break the Ice Challenge
    Colorado School of MinesCompany statementPublished 2024-02-13Accessed 2026-11-01Supports: name, entity type
    Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  2. [2]Mines, Lunar Outpost team heading to finals in NASA's Break the Ice Challenge
    Colorado School of MinesCompany statementPublished 2024-02-13Accessed 2026-11-01Supports: summary, status explanation, aliases
    A team with members from Colorado School of Mines and Lunar Outpost, called the Ice Diggers
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  3. [3]Mines, Lunar Outpost team heading to finals in NASA's Break the Ice Challenge
    Colorado School of MinesCompany statementPublished 2024-02-13Accessed 2026-11-01Supports: summary, resource activity
    the team’s excavation system extracted over 12 metric tons of concrete
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  4. [4]Mines, Lunar Outpost team heading to finals in NASA's Break the Ice Challenge
    Colorado School of MinesCompany statementPublished 2024-02-13Accessed 2026-11-01Supports: summary, open evidence gaps
    The Ice Diggers placed third in the semifinals to earn their spot in the finals and $125,000.
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  5. [5]Overview and Results from NASA's Break The Ice Lunar Challenge
    NASA authors, NASA Technical Reports ServerGovernment recordAccessed 2026-11-01Supports: status explanation
    Ice Diggers Phase 2, Level 2 submission.
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  6. [6]Mines, Lunar Outpost team heading to finals in NASA's Break the Ice Challenge
    Colorado School of MinesCompany statementPublished 2024-02-13Accessed 2026-11-01Supports: headquarters country
    1500 Illinois St., Golden, CO 80401
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.

Cite this record

SpaceMiningData, “Colorado School of Mines”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/organizations/colorado-school-of-mines.html. Record checked 2026-11-01.