Astroport Will Launch Lunar Brickbot By 2029
The San Antonio-based startup plans to transform lunar soil into construction material for future bases.
Updated on Oct. 11, 2026 in Space
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Astroport Space Technologies will send an autonomous Brickbot rover to the moon by 2029 to manufacture bricks from lunar soil. This in-situ resource utilization aims to support NASA initiatives for a sustained human presence on the lunar surface.
Why it matters
NASA relies on in-situ resource utilization because transporting building materials from Earth is complex and prohibitively expensive. This technology will be essential for establishing the sustained human base that NASA intends to build at the lunar South Pole by 2032.
Astroport plans to utilize a high-temperature furnace to process excavated lunar regolith into building bricks. Researchers are currently using 5-foot transparent vacuum chambers and computer simulations to model material durability in the lunar environment.
The players
Astroport Space Technologies
This company operates out of Port San Antonio and focuses on developing infrastructure for lunar construction.
NASA
The United States government agency responsible for the nation's civilian space program and aeronautics research.
Southwest Research Institute
An independent, nonprofit applied research and development organization based in San Antonio.
St. Mary's University
A private Catholic university in San Antonio that received NASA funding for lunar regolith simulations.
The details
The Brickbot rover prototype currently integrates unconventional components such as repurposed PlayStation controllers and yogurt containers for testing. Meanwhile, the Southwest Research Institute is preparing a 180-acre lunar testing yard in San Antonio to further refine these construction methods.
Timeline
The final Apollo mission landed humans on the moon in 1972.
NASA completed a crewed Artemis lunar flyby mission in April 2026.
NASA aims to land humans on the moon again in 2028.
Astroport plans to land its Brickbot rover on the lunar surface in 2029.
NASA targets the establishment of a sustained human lunar base by 2032.
The Big Picture
This project represents a shift in space exploration toward in-situ resource utilization under the framework of the NASA Artemis program. It marks a transition from purely exploratory lunar missions to the establishment of permanent infrastructure and sustained human presence.
The development of automated lunar brick manufacturing could dramatically reduce the cost and technical barriers to establishing permanent off-world colonies. Success in these San Antonio-based laboratories provides a template for future construction materials used in extreme, resource-scarce environments on Earth.
The takeaway
The transition to building with local lunar materials is a critical milestone for long-term space colonization. Readers should monitor these developments as they mirror historical shifts in logistics that enabled early human exploration and settlement.
What happens next
NASA plans to land humans on the moon in 2028, followed by the deployment of the Astroport Brickbot in 2029 and the targeted establishment of a sustained lunar base in 2032.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest innovations in Space exploration and lunar research.
Source note: This article includes information reported by San Antonio Report.
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