Astroport Space Technologies — Posts

Since 2020, Astroport Space Technologies has built a focused portfolio of lunar surface construction and site preparation capabilities through multiple NASA Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) efforts. This work culminates in the current STTR Phase II effort centered on a lunar site preparation Concepts of Operations (ConOps), with a specific emphasis on enabling early deployment and long-term operation of Fission Surface Power (FSP) systems.\r\n\r\nPower-First Lunar Infrastructure Strategy\r\n\r\nSustained lunar operations depend on continuous, high-capacity surface power. Astroport’s current Phase II work advances a ”power-first” approach to lunar infrastructure by defining how autonomous systems prepare and stabilize lunar terrain to support early emplacement of surface nuclear reactors. The effort focuses on the operational steps required to ready reactor sites ahead of deployment, including grading and conditioning terrain, constructing hardened vaults and protective berms, and managing dust, ejecta, and other surface hazards that threaten high-value power assets. These site preparation activities are integrated with the sequencing of landing pads, power distribution systems, and future expansion infrastructure, ensuring that reactor deployment is not treated as a standalone event but as the foundational element of a larger, power-enabled surface architecture.\r\n\r\nBy addressing these challenges at the space civil engineering level, Astroport reduces risk to both the reactor and adjacent surface systems while enabling construction activity to continue through the lunar night under continuous nuclear power.

Between 2024 and 2025, Astroport Space Technologies advanced key regolith conveyance and feed system capabilities under its NASA STTR Phase II ”Brickbot” technology demonstration platform.\r\nThe Brickbot effort addresses the reliable preparation and delivery of regolith feedstock at controlled grain sizes suitable for lunar brick formation. The technical scope of this milestone includes:\r\n- Autonomous regolith acquisition and deposit\r\n- Mechanical filtration and grain size optimization for lunar brick strength\r\n- Regolith feed interface to a furnace-nozzle system for brick molding and placement\r\n- Fabrication of a gantry system for robotic brick placement\r\n- Definition of operational procedures and system interfaces\r\n\r\nOngoing Phase II Development\r\n\r\nPhase II development continues toward full system integration and functional demonstration of the complete Brickbot platform. Current and planned activities include:\r\n\r\n- Integration of the complete regolith acquisition and deposit system\r\n- Finalization and testing of the mechanical filtration and feed subsystems\r\n- Integration of the furnace-nozzle system with the Brickbot platform\r\n- Development of supporting power, thermal management, and command-and-control subsystems\r\n- Functional testing in a simulated lunar terrain environment\r\n\r\nThese activities are directed toward demonstrating a closed-loop regolith handling and brick production workflow suitable for scaling to future lunar surface operations.

Astroport Space Technologies, Inc., the premier provider of autonomous lunar construction solutions, and Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab), a leader in planetary robotics, successfully concluded a field demonstration of a prototype specialized lunar excavator payload. This milestone marks the first in a planned suite of automated lunar construction solutions designed to pave the way for future lunar construction projects.\r\n\r\nAn MOU signed by the two companies establishes a unified “Science-to-Construction” pipeline for lunar site preparation. The collaboration focuses on the integration of Astroport’s proprietary autonomous construction tools with Astrolab’s Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover—the most capable mobility platform designed for the lunar surface.