China will send samples of bricks to the space station in the coming months to test their durability in extreme conditions and their potential use for building a lunar base.
According to state television CCTV, the brick samples made from various components of lunar soil will be transported to the Tiangong space station aboard the upcoming Tianzhou 8 spacecraft.
Design model of China’s lunar base. (Photo: China National Space Administration (CNSA)).
These bricks will undergo three years of durability testing in space, including exposure to ultraviolet radiation and cosmic rays, as well as extreme temperature fluctuations. This testing will evaluate the strength and resilience of the bricks in harsh environments and how the material performs in space.
The experiment is designed to provide insights into which components and brick production methods using lunar soil are most suitable for constructing structures on the Moon.
According to CCTV, one method for producing these bricks involves heating the material to 1,000 degrees Celsius using electromagnetic induction in a sintering furnace. This process will melt the material into solid structures, producing an 18 cm long brick in just 10 minutes.
The initiative to create bricks from lunar soil arises from the context that transporting materials to the Moon would be extremely costly. Therefore, utilizing local resources could significantly reduce expenses and enhance lunar exploration capabilities.
China plans to establish a lunar base with international partners in the 2030s, referred to as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). To prepare, the country intends to test 3D-printed bricks on the Moon using the Chang’e 8 lander and rover. This mission is expected to be launched in 2028.
In addition to China, both NASA and the European Space Agency are researching ways to create bricks from regolith simulants of the Moon. Previously, NASA tested cement mixing technology on the International Space Station (ISS), focusing on creating materials for potential habitats in space. However, China’s upcoming experiment is expected to be the first direct test of the durability of bricks made from lunar soil in space.
