116-4 Science and Engineering of Regolith Distribution Systems for Lunar Landing Pad Construction

Session: Lunar Science and Exploration in the Artemis Era (Posters)

Poster Booth No.: 325

Presenting Author:

Donald Hooper

Authors:

Hooper, Donald M¹, Ximenes, Sam², Wells, Ron³, Johnson, James⁴, Singh, Hardev⁵, Cox, Mitchell⁶, Kentros, Noah⁷, Adach, Tomasz⁸, Bolish, Kathryn⁹

(1) Astroport Space Technologies, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, USA; WEX Foundation, San Antonio, Texas, USA, (2) Astroport Space Technologies, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, USA; Exploration Architecture Corp., San Antonio, Texas, USA, (3) Astroport Space Technologies, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, USA, (4) Astroport Space Technologies, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, USA, (5) Department of Mechanical, Aerospace & Industrial Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA, (6) Astroport Space Technologies, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, USA, (7) Astroport Space Technologies, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, USA, (8) Astroport Europe, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, (9) WEX Foundation, San Antonio, Texas, USA,

Abstract:

The deployment of sustainable landing and launch pads (LLPs) on the lunar surface demands an integrated regolith management architecture capable of excavating, hauling, sorting, distributing, sintering, and melting bulk material with minimal human intervention. Our core innovation lies in an all-inclusive Concept of Operations (ConOps) that integrates autonomous robotics, in‐situ resource utilization (ISRU), and hybrid power systems. Operations begin with robotic bucket-drum excavators slicing into the regolith to provide raw material for multi-functional Autonomous Transport Vehicles (ATPs), which haul their load to stockpiles or regolith sorting facilities. At these stations, additional robotic platforms or conveyors (overland, wheeled, or tracked) move regolith to their desired processing machinery or instruments. Coarser fractions undergo primary crushing and may be stockpiled for LLP berm bag machines. Finer regolith (<100 µm) is separated through sieving and cyclone separators in a silo, predominantly to be used for brick and additive manufacturing feedstocks. Sieve amplitude, mesh geometry, and feed rates (supported by a fleet of ATPs) combine to target high separation efficiency at rapid throughput rates. Fed by sieved regolith, “BrickBot” mobility units will initiate brick or tile manufacturing. Regolith stockpiles yield commodities for downstream ISRU and supply material for subsequent oxygen extraction and volatile capture. Specialized canister haulers equipped with quick-release mechanisms for rapid cartridge exchange transport regolith to construction zones. This includes supporting a fleet or swarm of advanced Lunatron^® BrickLayer robots that unite induction melting, extrusion, and placement of interlocking molten-regolith bricks in a single pass. Once implemented, this would eliminate the need for binders or mortar and produce a cohesive, load-bearing pavement surface for LLPs, high-traffic roads, or other major infrastructure. Powering these regolith distribution systems requires a hybrid nuclear–photovoltaic system, with mobile cable-laying robots connecting reactors, solar arrays, and charging stations. The ConOps anticipates dynamic power routing to ensure continuous regolith processing, even under lunar night conditions. Our science and engineering systems transform raw surface material into structural assets and provides a blueprint for sustainable lunar infrastructure. As lunar exploration missions multiply and our experience with complex lunar terramechanics matures, these principles will fortify not only LLP construction but also a broad spectrum of civil and industrial activities on the Moon.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-11026

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