GETMILK

Selene — Lunar Regolith Brick Press

A briefcase-sized in-situ resource utilisation rig that compacts and microwave-sinters lunar regolith simulant into structural bricks. Built so a university team can prototype off-world habitat construction on Earth today, and ship to LEO tomorrow.

complexity: hardtolerance: high precision
Selene — Lunar Regolith Brick Press

Snapshot

Feasibility at a glance

PT localization

6/10

Partial

Most steps can be localised in Portugal.

Per unit

€8,000–€14,000 per unit

at 12-unit volume

Starter batch

12units

minimum viable run

To first batch

20weeks

6 phases, design to ship

Budget

€96K–€235K

all-in estimate

Bottom line

5-axis CNC the Inconel cavity — it sees both pressure and 1100°C.
Read full insight

Picked based on the localization score (6/10) plus the dominant process (cnc machining). For an early build at this batch size, this gives you the best balance of cost, risk, and speed of iteration.

What it does

4 capabilities

Loads a measured dose of regolith into a tungsten-carbide cavity.

Compacts the dust into a brick-shaped puck under hydraulic pressure.

Sinters the puck with microwave energy until the silicates fuse.

Ejects the cooled brick onto a conveyor for the next layer of a wall.

How it's made

4 stations · build route

  1. 1

    Machine the cavity

    5-axis CNC the Inconel cavity — it sees both pressure and 1100°C.

  2. 2

    Build the chassis

    Folded aluminum sheet, TIG-welded at the load-bearing corners only.

  3. 3

    Wire the harness

    Mil-spec connectors throughout; this thing is meant for spaceflight qual.

  4. 4

    Validate with simulant

    Run JSC-1A regolith for 72 hours and crush-test every tenth brick.

Risks to watch

3 identified · 1 blocking

1 high
2 medium

High

Tooling amortisation locks the design

Cast / moulded parts demand tooling that is hard to revise once cut.

Mitigation — Run one full design review with a tooling shop before steel is touched.

Medium

Specialty material lead times slip

If the primary material (6061-T6 aluminum (frame)) source delays, the whole line idles.

Mitigation — Qualify a second-source supplier in week 1 and keep a 4-week safety stock.

Medium

Building / safety regulation drift

Construction-adjacent products attract new EU-level fire and load standards every 18 months.

Mitigation — Subscribe to the relevant EN/ISO bulletins and budget annual recertification.

Production timeline

20 weeks to first batch

wk 1wk 7

CNC machining

wk 1–2

Sheet-metal work

wk 3

Welding

wk 4

Anodising

wk 5

Wire-harness build

wk 6

Functional QA & batch sign-off

wk 7

wk 1–2 is the longest stretch — CNC machining takes 2 weeks of the 7 weeks on this build.

What goes into it

6 materials · 7 processes

Materials

6061-T6 aluminum (frame)Inconel 718 (microwave cavity)Tungsten carbide ramBorosilicate viewportMineral wool insulationJSC-1A regolith simulant (test feed)

Processes

cnc_machiningsheet_metalweldinganodizingwire_harnessfinal_assemblytesting_inspection

Design philosophy and best practices

5 principles

A regolith brick press compacts fine abrasive dust and sinters it with microwave heat. The hard parts are abrasion, heat management and testing on Earth with simulant that behaves differently from real lunar soil.

1

Design every sliding surface against abrasion

Regolith particles are sharp and fine. Use hard faces such as tungsten carbide on the ram and die, and keep seals away from the dust path.

2

Separate the hot zone from the structure

Inconel and insulation contain the microwave cavity, while the aluminium frame stays cool. Thermal breaks stop the frame from distorting.

3

Control microwave heating evenly

Regolith absorbs microwaves unevenly, which causes hot spots and cracked bricks. Cavity shape, mode stirring and temperature sensing matter more than raw power.

4

Build to space test standards from the start

Vibration, thermal vacuum and outgassing tests (for example ECSS standards) decide material and fastener choices.

5

Measure brick quality, not just press force

Density and compressive strength of each batch are the real output. Plan sample testing into the design.

Common pitfalls

Avoid

Using standard hydraulic seals that fail quickly in fine abrasive dust.

Avoid

Assuming simulant results transfer directly to real regolith, which varies by site.

Avoid

Ignoring microwave leakage and its effect on nearby electronics.

Avoid

Anodising parts that later see high heat, where the coating can craze.

10-year evolution forecast (2026-2036)

4 phases

Using local materials on the Moon is an active research area. The points below are trends in the field.

2026–2028

Ground demonstrators

Trend: lab presses using simulants such as JSC-1A and LHS-1 prove sintering recipes.

2028–2031

Vacuum and thermal testing

Trend: prototypes move into thermal vacuum chambers to check behaviour without air.

2031–2034

Small flight experiments

Trend: compact payloads test sintering on lander missions.

2034–2036

Earth spin-offs

Trend: the same methods are studied for low-energy building materials from local soils on Earth.

Outlook

Expect this to stay a research and demonstration product, with value in testing methods and Earth applications.

Materials intelligence

7 materials

Aluminium alloy

Low supply risk

6061-T6 frame and brackets

Sourced from: Primary aluminium is led by China, with smelters in Norway, the EU and the Middle East; bar and plate are widely stocked in Europe.

Inconel 718

Medium supply risk

Microwave cavity and hot-zone parts

Sourced from: Nickel comes mainly from Indonesia, the Philippines and Russia; superalloy bar is made by a few mills in the US and Europe.

Hard to machine; plan for slow cutting and tool wear.

Tungsten carbide

High supply risk

Ram face and die liners

Sourced from: China dominates tungsten mining and processing.

Borosilicate glass

Low supply risk

Viewing window

Sourced from: Produced by several glassmakers in Europe, the US and Asia.

Mineral wool

Low supply risk

Thermal insulation around the cavity

Sourced from: Made from basalt or slag in many EU countries.

JSC-1A regolith simulant

Medium supply risk

Test feed

Sourced from: Made in small batches by specialist suppliers, mainly in the US.

Different simulants give different results; record which one was used.

Copper

Medium supply risk

Wiring and microwave waveguide parts

Sourced from: Mined mainly in Chile, Peru and DR Congo; Portugal mines copper at Neves-Corvo.

Prototyping and rapid manufacturing in Portugal

5 companies from the atlas

ROQ Laser

Vila Nova de Famalicão

Laser cutting, sheet metal and welding

Frame panels and cavity enclosure sheet parts.

MAFEPRE

Marinha Grande

CNC machining and sheet metal

Ram guides and machined frame blocks.

Adlanext, Unipessoal Lda

Celorico de Basto

CNC machining and anodising

Anodised 6061 frame brackets.

3DWays

Oeiras

CNC machining, sheet metal and anodising

Small machined fixtures and anodised covers.

Ricardo & Barbosa

S. Pedro da Cova

Machining, sheet metal and wire harness

Harness and cabinet for the control electronics.

587 Portuguese manufacturers matched

None cover the whole build — it splits across steps.