The bricks were brought back to Earth by the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft after a year in space
China has successfully brought back to Earth the first batch of experimental ‘lunar soil bricks’ designed for future construction on the moon.
According to China’s CCTV News, the bricks were brought back to Earth by the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft after a year in space. According to Chinese researchers, the bricks are in excellent condition.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, the batch is part of a historic experiment conducted on the Chinese space station. The experiment began in November 2024, when the Tianzhou-8 cargo ship delivered simulated lunar soil samples to the space station. A total of 74 small bricks were installed on an exposure platform on the station’s outer surface.
These bricks were made from materials that matched the composition of real regolith (lunar soil) and used three different techniques in their production: hot press sintering, electromagnetic induction sintering, and microwave sintering. This increased their pressure-bearing capacity by three times.
China sent these bricks into space primarily to test three key properties: mechanical performance, thermal performance, and radiation resistance.
