Astroport Will Launch Lunar Brickbot Rover by 2029
The San Antonio-based startup plans to automate lunar construction to support NASA’s long-term human base mission.
Updated on Oct. 11, 2026 in Space
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Astroport Space Technologies, operating out of Port San Antonio, is developing an autonomous rover to manufacture bricks from lunar soil. The company plans to land this Brickbot on the moon by 2029 to begin a goal of producing 200,000 bricks in situ.
Why it matters
Transporting building materials from Earth is cost-prohibitive, making in-situ resource utilization essential for NASA’s objective to establish a sustained human presence on the lunar South Pole by 2032.
Astroport is testing the Brickbot rover prototype using custom 5-foot vacuum chambers and simulation models, while the Southwest Research Institute is preparing a 180-acre lunar testing yard in San Antonio to model habitat durability.
The players
Astroport Space Technologies
A startup based at Port San Antonio developing autonomous lunar construction hardware for in-situ resource utilization.
NASA
The U.S. federal agency responsible for civil space programs and lunar exploration initiatives under the Artemis architecture.
Southwest Research Institute
A San Antonio-based applied research organization constructing a 180-acre lunar testing facility.
St. Mary's University
A San Antonio academic institution currently conducting simulation research on lunar regolith behavior.
The details
The Brickbot excavates lunar regolith — loose, fragmented rock and dust covering the moon’s surface — and processes it into structural bricks using a high-temperature furnace. Researchers at St. Mary’s University are building a 5-foot transparent vacuum chamber, a container from which air is removed to mimic the moon’s low-pressure environment, to refine regolith simulation. The current prototype, which incorporates a repurposed PlayStation controller and yogurt containers, serves as an early model for the final flight-ready hardware.
Timeline
1972: The last Apollo mission landed humans on the moon.
April 2026: NASA conducted a crewed Artemis lunar flyby mission.
2028: NASA plans to land humans on the moon.
2029: Astroport plans to land a Brickbot on the moon.
2032: NASA targets a sustained human lunar base.
The Tech Race
Astroport’s manufacturing goals extend the Artemis program’s logistics infrastructure beyond temporary landings. This development follows a pattern set by NASA’s push for in-situ resource utilization as the primary strategy for maintaining a sustained lunar presence.
While the technology is designed for the lunar surface, the research conducted at St. Mary’s University and the Southwest Research Institute will influence local robotic simulation and material science workflows. Public access to these simulated lunar environments remains limited to ongoing academic and aerospace research programs.
The takeaway
Manufacturing structures from local lunar soil is critical for moving beyond Earth-dependent supply chains for moon exploration. Keep watch on 2028 NASA mission timelines, as successful crewed landings will trigger the next phase of site-specific infrastructure deployment for base operations.
What happens next
NASA intends to land humans on the moon in 2028, followed by a targeted establishment of a sustained human lunar base by 2032.
Further reading
For more on the developments in regional space exploration, visit Space.
Source note: This article includes information reported by San Antonio Report.
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