LunaLand (Lunar Construction & Energy Platform) - STRATEGIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE ARBOK

Overview

LunaLand is ARBOK's integrated technology platform for lunar base construction and energy supply. It combines alkali-activated binders (geopolymer), electroconcrete, borosilicate foam, full-spectrum solar absorption (ABBS), and radio-frequency energy harvesting (RV) into a single material-and-energy stack derived primarily from local lunar regolith. Delivery from Earth costs ~$1M per kilogram to the lunar surface, so every imported subsystem — heating, sensors, energy, radiation shielding, insulation — multiplies mission cost and mass. LunaLand closes five functional requirements through recipe variations of one technological platform, reducing total base mass by an order of magnitude compared with sintering-based approaches.

The global market is converging on regolith sintering at 1100–1200 °C (NASA, ESA, China Chang'e-8 for 2028). This approach has two structural weaknesses: energy intensity (1.5–2 GJ/m³ versus 0.05–0.1 GJ/m³ for geopolymer) and brittleness (near-zero tensile strength → cracks under 290 °C thermal cycling → hermetic failure). ARBOK's alkali-activated binders achieve 4–8 MPa tensile strength, enabling pressurized habitable volumes, and the energy freed by avoiding sintering (30–40 kW continuous) is redirected to life support, communications, and science.

Applications

Lunar base construction and energy supply: load-bearing pressurized structures, floor and wall heating, structural health monitoring, anti-icing on external airlocks, thermal insulation and neutron shielding, daytime and continuous energy harvest, radiation shielding.

Operating Principle

Five-function stack (one process input → five functional outputs):

|—|—|—|—|

Geopolymer: silicate powder treated with alkali forms a stone-like matrix without clinker or elevated temperature. Mare regolith (SiO₂ 42–48%, Al₂O₃ 10–15%, CaO 8–12%, FeO 15–18%) is compositionally close to basalt; impact metamorphism over billions of years raises the amorphous glass phase, potentially increasing reactivity above terrestrial basalt. Verified on standard simulants. The primary lunar route minimizes water use: a silicate-based mix is consolidated into a waterproof, stone-like material under applied pressure, reaching structural strength rapidly, with water used only in a thin surface sealing layer and the whole cycle carried out sealed, under vacuum.

Electroconcrete: a proprietary carbon-based conductive additive, dosed past the percolation threshold, converts the geopolymer matrix into a resistive heater and distributed sensor simultaneously — floor and wall heating with no pipes or coolant, structural health monitoring in which microcracks, moisture ingress, and deformation are read as resistance change, and anti-icing on external airlocks.

ABBS (Arbok BlackBody System): thermally expanded graphite with a vermicular porous structure traps photons via multiple internal reflections.

Radio-Voltaic (RV): a film of microstrip resonators printed on a polymer substrate, each resonator tuned to its segment of the radio spectrum, harvesting the RF component of solar radiation plus cosmic and galactic radio background. Radio waves diffract around obstacles and arrive from all directions, so RV is insensitive to solar pointing, dust deposition, and local shadowing.

Radiation shielding: threats are GCR (protons 0.1–10 GeV) and SEP. Shielding factors are wall mass thickness (g/cm²), light elements (O, Si) slowing primary protons, and FeO at 15–18% in regolith attenuating secondary X-rays within the wall body. Geopolymer integrates radiation shielding into the load-bearing layer — one material, two functions — whereas lead cannot serve a structural role. Borosilicate foam is a lightweight refractory filler with boron that quenches secondary neutrons.

Key Parameters

Geopolymer versus sintered regolith:

| Parameter | Geopolymer (ARBOK) | Sintered regolith |

|—|—|—|

| Compressive strength | 60–90 MPa | 20–40 MPa |

| Tensile strength | 4–8 MPa | ~0 MPa |

| Frost resistance | 75–100+ cycles | Brittle |

| Energy input | 0.05–0.1 GJ/m³ | 1.5–2 GJ/m³ |

| Cure temperature | Ambient | 1100–1200 °C |

Activator constraint: lunar sodium content is low (0.3–0.5%), insufficient for in-situ activator production; sources are delivery from Earth or extraction from KREEP rocks. ARBOK's activator system runs at a small fraction of the concentration required by standard global practice, so the activator load per cubic metre of finished material is a minor share of the poured mass; essentially all the rest is local regolith.

Energy budget for a 20-person base (500–700 m³): geopolymer route 30–70 GJ total; sintering route 750–1400 GJ (~1000 GJ). 1000 GJ/year equals 32 kW continuous, which on the lunar equator requires 60–80 kW peak panels plus 10–11 MWh batteries (tens of tonnes).

Electroconcrete: operates within a moderate heating band suited to habitat comfort and de-icing loads, with thermal losses far lower than pipe-based systems. The matrix has an upper temperature limit beyond which it degrades, so sections exposed to strong external thermal cycling require buried placement or a ceramic shell.

ABBS versus space-grade silicon:

| Parameter | ABBS (TEG) | Space-grade silicon |

|—|—|—|

| Absorption UV–VIS–IR | 99% | 20–30% |

| IR utilization (49–52% of flux) | Full | Lost to radiator |

| Usable output | 900–1100+ W/m² | 250–300 W/m² (electric only) |

| Mass | 1–3 kg/m² | 10–20 kg/m² |

| Lifetime | 25–50+ years | 5–10 years |

Output split from 1366 W/m² input: after near-total absorption and modest heat-exchanger losses, the great majority of incoming flux is retained as usable thermal power; the electric share depends on the converter chosen (thermoelectrics at the low end, Stirling at the high end), and the remainder is process heat for life support, water regeneration, and regolith pre-heating. TEG production: ARBOK manufactures TEG at industrial scale, at a unit cost around $50/kg. Limit: requires sunlight — on the lunar equator the 14-day night reduces ABBS output to stored thermal mass in the wall array.

Radio-Voltaic versus space-grade silicon:

| Parameter | RV film | Space-grade silicon |

|—|—|—|

| Mass | Grams per hundreds of m² | 10–20 kg/m² |

| Orientation sensitivity | None | Tracking required |

| Dust sensitivity | None | Degradation |

| Aging degradation | None | Significant |

| Confirmed η (Earth lab) | 5% | — |

Roll format: cylinder ~1 × 1 m → ~1.5 kWh. Night operation: direct solar RF disappears; RV operates at reduced output from galactic radio background.

Lunar environment context: regolith particle size 60–80 µm; layer depth meters to tens of meters; day/night temperature swing 290 °C; lunar day and night 14 Earth days each; lava tube diameter up to hundreds of meters with interior at ~−20 °C and no radiation or micrometeoroids; polar ice in shaded craters hundreds of millions of tonnes with extraction rate ~10 t/day; delivery cost from Earth ~$1M/kg.

Architecture and Components

Green Concrete alkali-activated geopolymer as the load-bearing structure; electroconcrete (geopolymer with 0.5–2% carbon additive) providing heating and distributed sensing; foamed borosilicates for thermal insulation and neutron shielding; ABBS TEG absorber layer for daytime energy; Radio-Voltaic microstrip resonator film for broadband RF harvest. All produced from recipe variations of one platform based on local regolith.

Advantages

Energy per m³ of 0.05–0.1 GJ against 1.5–2 GJ for sintering. Tensile strength 4–8 MPa against ~0 MPa, giving low thermal crack risk and enabling pressurized habitable volumes. Heating and sensors are integrated via electroconcrete instead of separate imported systems. Energy harvest is on the same platform (ABBS + RV) rather than separate PV arrays. Radiation shielding is intrinsic to the geopolymer chemistry rather than imported. Insulation is provided by foamed borosilicates. The niche is currently vacant — the sintering mainstream does not occupy it. ABBS and RV replace multi-tonne battery banks with low-mass, complementary energy systems. Independent studies confirm that geopolymer blocks on iron-rich volcanic material outperform conventional concrete in secondary-particle interception, and basaltic regolith falls in the same zone.

Integrations

Green Concrete — alkali-activated binder detail · Electroconcrete — resistive heating and monitoring · Arbok-BlackBody System (ABBS) — full-spectrum solar absorber · RadioVoltaic – RV-24 — RF energy film · TEG-BETON — thermoelectric geopolymer composites · LunoGlass — regolith glass applications

Deployment & Operation

A water-minimized consolidation route is the primary lunar method, using a sealed pressing cycle in vacuum, with structural strength reached rapidly. Required R&D scale: one serious industrial R&D programme — not a national space agency budget — is sufficient to advance the package from current TRL to lunar demonstrator readiness.

TRL

TRL 3–7, varying by sub-technology:

| Sub-technology | TRL | Evidence |

|—|—|—|

| Green Concrete | 6–7 | Serial Earth production, field validated |

| Electroconcrete | 5–6 | Additives validated, prototype tested |

| Foamed borosilicates | 3–4 | Lab-scale, formulation ongoing |

| ABBS (TEG layer) | 3–4 | TEG at industrial scale; system POC |

| Radio-Voltaic (RV) | 3 | 5% η confirmed on small lab cluster |

Lunar-specific gaps across all sub-systems: thermovacuum behaviour (−170…+120 °C, 10⁻⁶ mbar) not yet tested; curing at polar −40 °C requires formulation adjustment; regolith simulant validation in thermovacuum pending. Lunar performance figures are calculated estimates until simulant testing.

Market Potential

Artemis programme and ILRS decisions on permanent infrastructure fall within 2–4 years; the window closes in the early 2030s, and post-deadline market entry cost is an order of magnitude higher. Competitive position: the sintering mainstream leaves the integrated single-platform niche vacant.

Typical Project Economics

Delivery cost from Earth ~$1M/kg drives the economics. Activator requirement is a small fraction of binder mass per cubic metre, well below standard global practice, with the remainder drawn from local regolith. TEG production runs at industrial scale, at a unit cost around $50/kg. Energy for a 20-person base: 30–70 GJ (geopolymer) versus 750–1400 GJ (sintering), freeing 30–40 kW continuous for life support, communications, and science.

Risk Factors

Thermovacuum behaviour (−170…+120 °C, 10⁻⁶ mbar) not yet tested. Curing at polar −40 °C requires formulation adjustment. Regolith simulant validation in thermovacuum pending; lunar performance figures remain calculated estimates. Alkali activator is not available in sufficient quantity on the Moon (lunar sodium 0.3–0.5%) and must be delivered from Earth or extracted from KREEP rocks. Electroconcrete matrix degrades above a moderate temperature threshold, requiring buried placement or a ceramic shell under external thermal cycling. ABBS requires sunlight and is reduced during the 14-day lunar night. RV target figures are multiples of Earth lab results and are being refined through orbital validation. Market window closes in the early 2030s.

Related Technologies

Green Concrete · Electroconcrete · Arbok-BlackBody System (ABBS) · RadioVoltaic – RV-24 · TEG-BETON · LunoGlass