Category Archives: Lunar Manufacturing

Friday / 21 November 2025

Posted on by

“Moon Bricks” After 1 Year of Radiation / Temps +121°C to -157°C

Returning with Shenzhou-20 crew on SZ-21 craft, being analyzed in China after one-year exposure outside Tiangong Space Station (TSS) are mortise-tenon bricks / blocks created from simulated lunar regolith, i.e., volcanic ash from Changbai Mountain with similar chemical composition; made with hot-press sintering, involving heat up to 2,000°C, pressure ±50 megapascals and possible vacuum or inert gas atmosphere, bricks have similar density as conventional but 3x compressive strength; in-situ resource utilization on Moon would use concentrated solar energy; analysis will continue at years 2 / 3, November 2026 / 2027; developed by National Digital Construction Technology Innovation Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Image Credits: China Central Television (CCTV), China National Space Administration (CNSA)

Friday / 3 October 2025

Posted on by

Europe Moves Forward with International Collaboration on Moon Missions for Exploration, Monitoring, Mining

Airbus (Netherlands / France, with German / USA / China / Canada offices) supplies European Service Module for Artemis II Orion spacecraft, providing life-support, avionics, solar power, propulsion; ESA Argonaut lunar lander planned to launch NET 2031; Blue Origin (USA / Luxembourg) teams with Luxembourg government / ESRIC / GOMSpace to create Oasis-1 orbiter to map water ice / H3 / rare minierals, before sending Blue Alchemist mining rig; Space Applications Services (Belgium) designing 300kg rover; ispace Europe awaits ESA approval for MAGPIE 30kg rover to analyze subsurface geology, hydrogen forms, et al

Image Credits: Airbus, Blue Origin, NASA

Tuesday / 23 September 2025

Posted on by

Blue Origin Completes Critical Design Review (CDR) for Blue Alchemist Moon Manufacturing System

Blue Alchemist is system to turn regolith into solar cells, power transmission wire, 99.999% pure silicon, metals and oxygen; with this system, Blue Origin melts regolith analog to 1,600°C, removes elements with electrolysis, et al, boils off / collects oxygen, extracts iron / aluminum / silicon, creates glass; system is cleaner than most current manufacturing processes; after CDR, 2026 demonstration of this autonomous system now scheduled for simulated lunar environment; supported by NASA US$35M grant, hopes to reduce lunar landing costs 60%, reduce fuel cell / battery masses by 70%

Image Credit: Blue Origin

Friday / 19 September 2025

Posted on by

Paving Moon Surface Necessary for Counteracting Regolith Dust

Michigan Technical University (PI, associate professor Paul van Susante) and SpaceFactory.ai (PI, founder David Malott) working together to create Moon-paving machines to polymerize regolith top layer, preventing future issues of dust-encrusted spacesuits on Moon-walking Astronauts; paving substance must endure 300°C temperature swings, -173 to +127; NASA Small Business Technology Transfer awarded US$150,000 in 2023, and US$850,000 this year funds R&D into 2027; current work is automating excavation / grading and preparing viscoelastic, asphalt-like material; road-bed samples are cryocooled and heated to lunar temps, rover wheel traverses sample paving 900x

Image Credits: NASA / SPC / ILOA, NASA / Gene Cernan of Harrison Schmitt, MTU, SpaceFactory.ai

Tuesday / 13 May 2025

Posted on by

Helium 3 Needed for New Uses: Quantum Computing, Medical Imaging, Fusion Research

Interlune presents prototype excavator produced with Vermeer Corp to extract Helium 3 (3He) from 100,000 kg regolith hourly; US Dept of Energy will buy 3He from ~2 hours of excavation, 3L; Maybell Quantum also signed on to purchase 3He; Apollo 17 Astronaut geologist Jack Schmitt co-founded Interlune to mine 3He; CTO Gary Lau states regolith 3He concentration is between 1:3,000 and 1:10,000 according to samples from Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17; Company received initial seed funding of $18M

Credits: Interlune, Vermeer; Pictured: Schmitt

Tuesday / 8 April 2025

Posted on by

ispace-U.S. Calls Together Science Advisors for Lunar Exploration

Lunar exploration company ispace (ispace-U.S.) has formed U.S. Lunar Science Advisory Board (US LSAB) in conjunction with 1 Apr naming of new CEO Elizabeth Kryst; Chair is Alan Stern, former NASA Associate Administrator; Amanda Hendrix, Planetary Science Institute, who studies Moon composition and lunar resources; Philip Metzger, University of Central Florida, who does regolith research; Lisa Gaddis, LPI, has received many NASA awards, does lunar analysis and geology; Jack Burns, Professor Emeritus of both Astrophysics and Physics, served on numerous NASA committees; Clive Neal, Professor of Planetary Geology, has overseen lunar samples, helped train NASA Astronauts

Credit: ispace (Pictured CW from upper left: Metzger, Stern, Burns, Gaddis, Hendrix, Neal) 

Tuesday / 26 November 2024

Posted on by

Multiple Events in Luxembourg, Include Moon Focus

Luxembourg, home of ISRU legal framework, hosts Moon Village Association (MVA) 8th Global Moon Village Workshop & Symposium 2-3 Dec co-hosted by Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), MVA major annual forum for new ideas / progress reports about Moon exploration / utilization, lunar governance / industrialization / infrastructure / technologies; LSA also sponsors Luxembourg Space Week 2-5 Dec with NewSpace Europe 3 Dec for networking among start-ups / agencies / investors, IRG First European Interstellar Symposium 2-5 Dec featuring Pete Worden, ESA Space for Inspiration 4-5 Dec with Day 2 main session on Moon economy / logistics / communication / navigation

Credits: European Convention Center, Moon Village Association, Luxembourg Space Agency, Interstellar Research Group, European Space Agency

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 17-20 Feb 2023

Posted on by

Companies Race to Develop and Deploy ISRU Techniques to Extract Building Materials and Oxygen on Moon

Blue Origin is latest entrant in effort to establish manufacturing processes for lunar buildout with Blue Alchemist molten regolith electrolysis extraction of Fe, Al, Si / PV cell & wire printing; Lunar Resources of Houston TX plans FarView Observatory construction via molten oxide electrolysis and is conducting 9-month NIAC feasibility study of MSP pipeline to deliver oxygen gas byproduct; ESA working to develop molten salt electrolysis with Metalysis of UK; Helios of Israel working with Eta Space of Florida on similar system; CO School of Mines to gather lunar prospectors 6-9 June at Lunar Resources Roundtable in Golden

Credits: Blue Origin, NASA, Lunar Resources, Helios, Metalysis

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 21-24 Jan 2022

Posted on by

Lunar Resources Inc to Develop and Construct Flight-ready Lunar Resource Extraction Reactor NLT 2024

Houston, TX-based Lunar Resources Inc receives 9th SBIR award (US$1M), bringing total NSF-supported funding to $3M+ for space initiatives including ISRU on Moon; Reactor for resource extraction is to utilize 1,600°C Molten Regolith Electrolysis process to separate metals (Al, Fe, Mg, Si) and oxygen, main constituents of lunar regolith; Habitat construction, oxygen for breathing / propulsion, and power generation via silicon photovoltaic cells are use cases for ISRU; CEO Elliot Carol tells Ars Technica, “Resource extraction is necessary for the United States to create a permanent presence on the Moon”

Credits: Lunar Resources, NASA, Paul Spudis

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 July 2021

Posted on by

Moon Society Advancing Multi World Civilization: Property Rights and Lunar Acreage

Led by President Michael Mealling (R) with Support from President Emeritus Peter Kokh (C) and Vice President James Burk (L), The Moon Society Grew out of Artemis Project, Now Hosts Physical ‘Outposts’ in CA, AZ, WI, MO, TN, WA, TX and Virtual Mare Cognitum (Sea of Knowledge) Collaborating on Slack Workspace Platform with Goal of Lunar Settlement; Moon Miners’ Manifesto Published 1986-2019, Work Being Carried on by Luna City Press with Outbound Newsletter and Lunarpedia; Moon Base Design Contest Awards SGAC Team First Place for Domi Inter Astra (At Home Among the Stars) with Focus on ‘Polycentric’ Governance / Ownership Principles, Blockchain Intellectual Property Protections in Addition to Technical Life Support

Credits: The Moon Society, Space Generation Advisory Council Team, The Futurist Foundation