Lunar innovation: Gadget powered by solar energy turns moon dust into bricks, marking a significant leap in lunar construction technology
In a groundbreaking development, China's Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL) has created a prototype for a lunar regolith forming system, including a lunar brick-making machine capable of producing bricks from moon soil [1]. This system, which transforms lunar soil into protective bricks for habitats, marks a major step towards in-situ manufacturing of lunar construction materials.
China's approach to lunar base construction is unique in several ways. The country has successfully collected diverse lunar soil samples, including from the far side and South Pole-Aitken Basin, enhancing their material research base and enabling advanced experiments such as 3D printing lunar bricks [2][3]. Their roadmap includes a phased plan with an International Lunar Research Station by 2035 and extended construction in the 2040s, showing a long-term infrastructure vision that integrates robotic systems and habitat modules with lunar brick technology [1].
On the other hand, the U.S., led by NASA, is actively encouraging innovation via initiatives like the LunaRecycle Challenge, which supports regolith-based construction technologies. However, these efforts remain in prototype development stages, mostly tested under Earth conditions with simulated lunar regolith [4]. Other countries and commercial actors are exploring regolith utilization, but China's full system integration from regolith harvesting to habitat assembly appears more advanced or operationally planned at scale.
The DSEL prototype successfully melted artificial lunar regolith and formed solid shapes, including lines, surfaces, bodies, and complex structures. The system uses a parabolic mirror to gather solar radiation, focus it, and funnel it through fiber optic cables to melt moondust. The melting point of moondust, achieved by the system, is over 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit (1,300 degrees Celsius) [1].
The bricks produced by the DSEL prototype will remain outside the space station for three years to test their durability in the harsh environment. The ability to produce building materials with resources readily available on the Moon could reduce the need for Earth-sourced materials, making lunar base construction more sustainable.
As the race to establish permanent lunar bases heats up, with the United States and China planning to do so within the next decade, China's progress in using lunar regolith for construction has been particularly significant in the last few years. In November 2024, China sent a cargo rocket carrying brick prototypes made from lunar regolith simulant to its Tiangong space station for testing in space conditions [1].
While there is no legal basis for claiming territory in space, the first country to reach the Moon could set ground rules. The U.S. is feeling pressure due to China's advancements in using lunar regolith for construction, as this could potentially give China an edge in establishing and maintaining a sustained lunar presence. The prototype developed by the DSEL team can manufacture materials to support construction of lunar roads, equipment platforms, and buildings, making China a frontrunner in regolith-based lunar construction technology.
- Gizmodo published an article highlighting China's advancements in lunar construction, specifically a prototype for a lunar regolith forming system developed by the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL) [1].
- The system, capable of producing protective bricks from lunar soil, marks a significant step towards in-situ manufacturing of lunar construction materials [1].
- China's approach to lunar base construction is unique, with a focus on integrating robotic systems, habitat modules, and lunar brick technology [1].
- The U.S., led by NASA, is also encouraging innovation in regolith-based construction, but their efforts remain in prototype development stages [4].
- In environmental-science and health-and-wellness, reducing the need for Earth-sourced materials for lunar base construction is a step towards sustainability [1].
- Space-and-astronomy and finance experts predict that the first country to establish a permanent lunar base could potentially set ground rules and have an edge in maintaining a sustained lunar presence [1].
