Lunar Engineering Myths

As discussions around lunar infrastructure evolve, a parallel rise in misconceptions has emerged. These misunderstandings, often rooted in superficial analogies with Earth-based construction, risk undermining serious technical dialogue and may compromise early-stage planning for extraterrestrial works.

This article addresses three frequently repeated myths about lunar construction and presents corrective perspectives grounded in geotechnical engineering.

“Excavation is simple — just dig and cover with regolith.”

Technically incorrect.

Lunar excavation requires far more than material removal and burial.

The lunar surface consists of regolith, an unconsolidated, impact-generated layer of material, whose mechanical behavior is highly site-dependent. Variability in grain size, compaction, thermal history, and exposure to impact events means that no two regions are alike. Highlands and mare areas present contrasting conditions in terms of grain angularity, bulk density, and cohesion.

Some regions exhibit loosely packed fines; others transition abruptly into block fields with fractured rock and agglutinates. In some polar locations, the presence of volatiles introduces risks of sublimation upon exposure, potentially creating instability in voids or adjacent foundations. These features can compromise both excavation performance and long-term stability.

In terrestrial tunneling, transitions in ground class can be managed using borehole data, CPT logs, and real-time monitoring — none of which currently exist for the Moon. Without ground-truth data, lunar excavation must proceed under conservative design assumptions with the support of probabilistic risk modeling and robust redundancies.

“The absence of atmosphere makes construction easier.”

Not at all.

While Earth-based engineers must contend with wind loads, precipitation, and cyclic wetting/drying, the absence of atmosphere on the Moon introduces an entirely different set of constraints. These are not merely operational inconveniences; they are fundamental engineering considerations that impact every stage of design, execution, and maintenance.

Examples include:

• Vacuum-induced sublimation of subsurface volatiles, leading to instability

• Lack of convective heat transfer, complicating thermal regulation during and after construction

• Dust particles becoming electrostatically charged, adhering to mechanical systems, instruments, and seals

• Unfiltered exposure to radiation and micrometeoroid impacts, which affect both material performance and long-term durability

Without atmospheric damping, even small mechanical disturbances can produce high-energy particle movement. Excavation ejecta, for example, can travel considerable distances without resistance, creating hazards for surrounding infrastructure. Thermal gradients between sunlit and shaded areas can exceed 250°C, demanding materials with high thermal resistance and anchors capable of accommodating differential movement.

Rather than simplifying operations, the vacuum environment demands a complete reevaluation of how construction is performed and how structures are stabilized, insulated, and maintained over time.

“Lunar regolith is similar to sand.”

False from both geotechnical and mineralogical standpoints.

While visually comparable in remote imagery, lunar regolith differs significantly from terrestrial sands in composition, morphology, and behavior.

It is:

• Composed of highly angular, abrasive grains — often glassy and fractured

• Enriched with nano-phase iron and agglutinates formed by impact sintering

• Devoid of moisture or organic content

• Subject to long-term exposure to solar wind and cosmic radiation

This composition results in a granular material with high internal friction but complex flow properties under dynamic loading. In vacuum conditions, capillary effects are absent, and interparticle forces (including van der Waals and electrostatic) dominate.

Additionally, regolith lacks particle rounding, which contributes to jamming and mechanical interference in excavation systems. Earth-based tools calibrated for uniform, cohesionless soils are likely to underperform when dealing with cohesive fines and sharp, interlocking particles.

Mischaracterizing regolith as “like sand” can lead to fundamental design errors, particularly in assumptions around angle of repose, compaction energy, permeability, and equipment wear rates.

Clarifying the Path Forward

Lunar construction is not an extrapolation of terrestrial methods. It is an emerging discipline requiring:

• Engineering judgment adapted to the absence of ground-truth data

• Simulation tools that accommodate vacuum conditions and radiation effects

• Materials adapted for extreme thermal cycling and dust exposure

• Excavation methods designed for both variability and inaccessibility

In the absence of in-situ testing, geotechnical strategies must prioritize adaptability, redundancy, and fail-safe mechanisms. Infrastructure must be robust to unknowns, and scalable as data improves.

Conclusion

The development of extraterrestrial infrastructure will not be driven by aspirational concepts or sci-fi imagery. It will depend on the application of sound geotechnical engineering, hard-won from subsurface challenges here on Earth, and adapted rigorously to the Moon’s unique environmental conditions.

The Moon Builders addresses these challenges from an applied engineering perspective, rooted in experience across major infrastructure and tunneling projects worldwide. It provides a framework for assessing risks, designing for uncertainty, and preparing for the reality of building in one of the most hostile environments known to engineering.