China plans to build lunar concrete blocks for its future bases on the satellite

One of the big problems of space exploration is the high cost of sending material of any kind from Earth. The presence of humans on the Moon will require an enormous amount of products to create the infrastructure that will keep future explorers safe. For space mission coordinators, the solution to this challenge is apparently simple: build these resources on the Moon from the elements found there.

The Huazhong University of Science and Technology, in China, has just presented an ambitious proposal for that future on the Moon. From a mixture of sediments simulating lunar soil, they built concrete bricks three times stronger than the standard material on Earth. Additionally, they are printed so that they can be assembled on themselves without fancy tools.

The lunar concrete blocks were created in his laboratory from five sediment compositions traditionally found on the Moon. Chinese researchers have information about the composition of the satellite’s soil since they have the most recent samples of the lunar regolith. The Chang’e-5 and 6 missions were the basis of that recent space achievement.

The material designed on Earth will be sent as part of the cargo on the Tianzhou-8 spacecraft. According to the news agency XinhuaChinese scientists will review the mechanical and thermal performance of lunar bricks, as well as their ability to block cosmic radiation. If all goes as planned, the bricks will have been to and from the Moon by the end of 2025.

Lunar regolith is composed of a combination of basaltic rock, breccias, volcanic glass, meteor fragments, and extremely fine dust. These materials can be separated to obtain essential elements such as oxygen, silicon, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, iron, titanium, sodium and potassium.

From the same soil from which the blocks will be obtained, it is also likely that water, fuel and the raw material for the solar cells in the laboratories will be obtained. A few months ago, the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported that its plan to obtain these resources is to melt the satellite’s soil. Under this method it will be possible to produce drinking water bottles from the regolith.

All these plans on the Moon must be added to the recent proposal for interconnection between the Earth and the satellite. Wu Weiren, head of China’s lunar exploration program, announced in April 2024 that the country intends to create research infrastructure on the surface of the satellite, in its orbit and, finally, a hub for direct trips.