Moon Robots · Part of The Humanoid Group

Building on the Moon

Launching material from Earth is costly, so many plans for a lasting presence on the Moon depend on robots that build with what is already there. The field is often called in-situ resource utilisation.

By Kenji Nakamura · Updated October 2026

Why build with local resources

Every kilogram launched from Earth carries a significant cost, which makes it impractical to ship everything a long-term base would need. In-situ resource utilisation, often shortened to ISRU, looks for ways to use local materials instead: regolith for building and shielding, and, where it can be found, ice that could provide water, oxygen and propellant. Robots are central to these plans because they can work before crews arrive, operate for long periods in harsh conditions and take on dusty, repetitive tasks such as excavation.

How robots might build

Several approaches are being studied on Earth. One is additive construction, where a robotic system prints structures layer by layer from regolith mixed with a binder or fused with heat. Another uses robots to excavate, move and pile regolith over habitats as shielding against radiation and micrometeoroids. Others explore sintering regolith into bricks or paving to control dust around landing sites. Much of this work happens in test facilities with simulated lunar soil, so results on the Moon itself may differ.

Connections to construction on Earth

Many of the technologies behind lunar construction concepts have close relatives on Earth. Large-format 3D printing of buildings, autonomous excavation, robotic surveying and remote operation of heavy machinery are all developing on terrestrial building sites. The Humanoid Group lists construction robots for several of these tasks, from concrete printing to layout marking and demolition. If your interest in lunar construction is practical, these Earth-bound systems are a good place to see the underlying ideas at work today.

Sources and further reading

Infrastructure Pilot Excavator (IPEx) — NASA Kennedy Space Center.
NASA's robotic excavator for digging and hauling lunar regolith, in autonomy testing under simulated lunar light.
NASA's 2026 Lunabotics: Winning Student Teams Engineering Lunar Future — NASA.
University teams' prototype robots dig simulated lunar soil and build protective berms at Kennedy Space Center.
Dust-Powered 3D Printing — NASA Spinoff.
How printing trials with simulated lunar regolith at Kennedy Space Center led to a large-format printer for Earth.

Common questions

What is regolith?

Regolith is the loose layer of dust, soil and broken rock that covers the Moon's surface. It is the main local material that lunar construction concepts plan to use.

Is lunar construction happening today?

Most lunar construction work is still at the research and testing stage on Earth, using simulated soil and prototype machines. Treat it as a developing field.

Lunar Rovers — How robotic rovers drive, navigate and survive on the Moon's surface.
Building on the Moon — Robotic construction, and the idea of building with local materials instead of shipping everything.
Mars & Asteroids — Rovers, flyers and sample collectors working far beyond the reach of a live operator.
From Space to Earth — How ideas proven for space find their way into mining, energy, construction and inspection.
Robots in Artemis — How commercial landers, scouting drones and remotely driven rovers prepare the Moon for Artemis crews.
Lunar South Pole — Why landers keep aiming for the Moon's south pole: icy shadowed craters and sunlit high ground nearby.
India's Chandrayaan Missions — What ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 lander and Pragyan rover carried, where they landed and what their data revealed.
Robotic Arms in Space — How Canadarm2, Europe's ERA and lander arms move cargo, help spacewalkers and set instruments down.
Mining the Moon — How robots could extract ice, oxygen and metals from lunar soil, and the rules on who may use what they find.
Latest updates — Rovers are learning to find their own way, NASA has picked its Moon base vehicles and lunar diggers are taking shape. Big launches keep moving, though, so these figures and updates separate done from planned.
About us — What we cover, how we source every figure, and who publishes this site.

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