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

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

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
Machine the cavity
5-axis CNC the Inconel cavity — it sees both pressure and 1100°C.
2
Build the chassis
Folded aluminum sheet, TIG-welded at the load-bearing corners only.
3
Wire the harness
Mil-spec connectors throughout; this thing is meant for spaceflight qual.
4
Validate with simulant
Run JSC-1A regolith for 72 hours and crush-test every tenth brick.

Machine the cavity

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

Build the chassis

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

Wire the harness

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

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 1wk 3wk 5wk 6wk 7

CNC machining

wk 1–2

Sheet-metal work

wk 3

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

The plan

9 tasks · 30 weeks to first batch

Week 1

2 tasks

foundersmall effort

Lock the pilot scope to one variant

One material set, one feature set, one user persona. Anything else is roadmap, not pilot.

opssmall effort

Shortlist three vendors per critical step

Use GETMILK Match to pull a ranked list across the top three processes — cnc_machining, sheet_metal, welding. Send the same RFQ to all three; do not customise per vendor yet.

Weeks 2–3

2 tasks

engineeringmedium effort

Freeze the design for the first 10 units

Move the active CAD set to a tagged release; any change after the freeze gets logged in the change-board.

opsmedium effort

Place first-article orders with two of the three vendors

waits on Vendor shortlist signed off

Order one of each critical part at full spec. Do not buy 100 — buy 1, inspect, learn, then buy 100.

Weeks 4–7

2 tasks

engineeringlarge effort

Run the integration pilot

waits on First articles delivered

Ten complete units assembled in-house. Track yield, defect modes, and cycle time on a shared dashboard.

legalmedium effort

Kick off compliance + certification

Engage a notified body for the relevant standards. Booking a slot now beats discovering a 12-week wait later.

Weeks 8–16

2 tasks

foundermedium effort

Put 25 units in the hands of lighthouse users

waits on Integration pilot complete

These users help refine the product, but they also become your first paid customers. Charge a symbolic price so the data is real.

foundersmall effort

Scale-readiness review with the chosen primary vendor

waits on Lighthouse trial telemetry

Before you tool up for 1000 units, walk the line together and agree on capacity, payment terms, and the failure-mode plan.

Ongoing

1 task

opssmall effort

Stand up a customer support loop

Every defect that reaches a user becomes a ticket, a root cause, a fix, and a regression test on the line.

Who you need

3 roles to fill before month one

EU funding officer

EU Built4People

Match-fund up to 50% of the first pilot line.

Academic partner

Materials Lab @ U.Porto

Free third-party validation for novel composites.

Compliance lawyer

Lisbon CMVM compliance counsel

Owns the CE / fire regs path for buildings.

Watch-outs

3 things to avoid in this plan

watch-out

Founder time leaks into vendor management instead of customer development

certification

Compliance booked too late and blocks shipping for 8+ weeks

quality

Demand exceeds the chosen vendor's small-batch capacity right when momentum matters

2 tasks in week 1

Lock the pilot scope to one variant

Open the plan

Shortlist

587 matched · 8 shown, ranked by coverage

Covers, left to right: CNC Machining · Sheet Metal · Welding · Anodizing · Wire Harness · Final Assembly · Testing & Inspection

Manufacturer

Location

Covers

Certifications

People

SMF

Île-de-France

—

CEFAMOL

—

Aernnova Aerospace

Évora

—

Lacovale

—

Kirchhoff Automotive

—

Aéro Composites Saintonge

Nouvelle-Aquitaine

—

Lauak Portugal

—

Aernnova Évora

—

Registry coverage

Portuguese producers per required step

Final Assembly

369

CNC Machining

212

Testing & Inspection

178

Welding

Sheet Metal

Wire Harness

Anodizing

Depth

How many cover more than one step

587cover at least one step

231cover two or more

53cover three or more

0cover all 7 steps

The gap

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.

Send one RFQ to the top 4

SMF, CEFAMOL, Aernnova Aerospace, Lacovale — same package, one click.

Request quotes