Ceramics firm takes 'giant leap' towards building on the Moon

A company says it has turned Moon dust into "solid pellets", which could pave the way to produce bricks on the Moon's surface.

Scientific consultancy firm Lucideon, based in Staffordshire, said the process involved firing electricity directly at the dust, which solidified it.

The innovation would help to "lay the foundations for humanity's next giant leap," said the company.

"It's not quite bricks yet, but it's on the way," said the company's chief executive, Tony Kinsella.

"If we are going to survive [on the Moon], the Moon still gets hit by objects from the rest of space. You need something that can be strong enough to withstand the odd pebble or rock missile coming in from outer space… so that's the 'why'."

The technology builds on decades of the region's expertise in ceramics to transform its traditional knowledge into advanced materials innovation, said the company.

The research was carried out as part of a programme funded by the European Space Agency.

The firm said sending materials to the Moon was too expensive because of weight and space constraints, meaning it would be better to use local resources to build extra-terrestrial habitats.

"Do we want to live on the Moon? Well, it's full of rich minerals," he said.

"It has been shown that gravity can help make some products that can't be made on Earth, and therefore it's a place we have to be, man has to be there," added Kinsella.

"I think we do need to go back to the Moon, not only because it's hard, but because it's valuable."

The firm said it was able to use its expertise in ceramic processing to turn the loose powdery material that blankets the lunar surface into a more solid material.

The process, known as sintering, is commonly used in the manufacture of bricks and many ceramic products.

"Our city is all about ceramics and its great history… but we also need to look at the future of ceramics," said Kinsella.

"All of this work is about ceramics and it's going to have such an impact on our living in every way – in energy, in how we live, in batteries, how we travel, and therefore, this is part of that new dynamic in the future of ceramics."

Kinsella said he believed there would be a "colony" on the Moon within his lifetime, even if it was just a few people.

"I think we will have a small colony of people who can reside on the Moon outside a spaceship for longer than a few weeks," he added.

"In an era defined by renewed momentum in space exploration, innovations like this will shape how, and where, humans live in the future," Richard Goodhead, from the firm, added.

"And in turning lunar dust into the building blocks of possibility, Lucideon is helping to lay the foundations for humanity's next giant leap."

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