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A regenerative Air Revitalization system has been developed by JAXA. Its major assemblies are a CO2 concentration assembly which contains membrane dryers to remove humidity and zeolite to remove CO2, a CO2 reduction assembly, and a water electrolysis assembly to which water is supplied in the vapor phase through molecule-size pores in a NAFION membrane rather than as liquid to solve the problem of gas-liquid separation in microgravity conditions. A small satellite mission using a subscale air revitalization system (for 1/10 person) is planned as an orbital demonstration of solving microgravity-related problems, interface problems between assembly, compaction problems and saving energy design. A small satellite is used because it has a greater chance of being selected for flight than ISS experiments, and it will be useful for mission assurance to perform small satellite experiments before an ISS manned mission.

In order to prolong the duration of manned missions around the earth and to expand the human existing region from the earth to other planets such as a Lunar Base or a manned Mars flight mission, the CELSS becomes an essential factor of the future technology to be developed through utilization of Space Station. The preliminary SE&I (System Engineering and Integration) efforts regarding CELSS have been carried out by the Japanese CELSS concept study group for clarifying the feasibility of hardware development for Space Station Experiments and for getting the time phased mission sets after Fy 1992. The results of these studies are breifly summarized and thereafter, the design and utilization methods of a Gas Recycle System for CELSS experiments are discussed.