Astroport and Vermeer team up to create autonomous construction equipment for the Moon.

      Astroport Space Technologies and Vermeer Corporation have announced a partnership aimed at modifying industrial surface mining equipment for autonomous construction on the Moon. Both companies view this collaboration as a way to provide the heavy machinery, or “Lunar Iron,” essential for establishing a permanent human presence on the lunar surface.

      The announcement was made during the 20th International Conference on Engineering, Science, Construction and Operations in Challenging Environments (ASCE Earth & Space 2026) held in College Station, Texas. It focuses on the “lunarisation” of Vermeer’s surface mining machinery. The initiative will utilize Astroport’s Universal Tool Implement Payload Adapter, or UTIPA, which is a modular system consisting of interchangeable tools designed for robotic construction in the Moon's harsh environment. Starting with a surface mining application, the teams will modify heavy equipment that traditionally depends on mass and weight, adapting it for the Moon’s low gravity, extreme temperature fluctuations, and abrasive regolith.

      Understanding "Lunar Iron"

      The term "Lunar Iron" does not refer to iron ore but rather serves as the companies' shorthand for the kind of heavy construction machinery needed for lunar base development: excavators, trenchers, and surface miners capable of performing tasks such as digging foundations, grading roads, constructing landing pads, and preparing fortified sites for nuclear power systems and habitats. While this work is standard on Earth, on the Moon, where equipment must function autonomously in a vacuum and withstand over 300 degrees Celsius of temperature variation between day and night, it presents a significant engineering challenge that has not yet been overcome at operational scale.

      “Vermeer has always focused on finding better ways to tackle tough tasks,” stated Jason Andringa, president and CEO of Vermeer Corporation. He emphasized that the company has spent over seventy years developing equipment for agriculture, natural resource management, and underground construction. “This partnership exemplifies our ongoing commitment to that vital work, applying our expertise in automation and heavy machinery to the lunar context.”

      UTIPA: The Enabler

      The key technical element of this partnership is Astroport’s UTIPA system. Instead of creating lunar construction machinery from the ground up, this method adapts proven industrial equipment through a modular payload interface. UTIPA allows standard connections between robotic platforms and interchangeable tool heads, enabling a single autonomous base unit to shift between tasks like surface mining, trenching, and grading.

      This is critical because lunar construction encompasses various activities. Establishing a base necessitates site preparation, which involves excavating regolith to level the terrain; building roads to link landing zones to habitat areas; fabricating landing pads with sintered regolith; and trenching for power cables and thermal protection. A modular tool system reduces the number of machines that need to be launched from Earth, allowing each machine to serve multiple purposes during the construction process.

      Prototype tests will be conducted at Vermeer’s headquarters in Pella, Iowa, where the company can utilize its existing heavy machinery testing facilities. The initial focus will be on adapting Vermeer’s high-torque cutting and trenching technologies, designed for continuous operation in hard ground and rock, to meet the demanding conditions found on the lunar surface.

      The NASA Demand

      The partnership aligns with NASA’s Moon Base program, which seeks to establish lunar infrastructure by 2030. The Artemis program has already completed its crewed lunar flyby and aims for lunar landings starting in 2028, with roughly annual missions thereafter. Permanent habitation will require precisely the kind of site preparation and civil engineering that Astroport and Vermeer are developing: excavated foundations, graded roads, sintered landing pads, and reinforced enclosures for fission power reactors.

      Astroport has been strategically preparing for this opportunity. The company holds several NASA contracts for lunar construction technology, including STTR Phase II funding for its Brickbot regolith-processing demonstrator. In February 2026, Astroport and Venturi Astrolab successfully demonstrated an integrated excavator payload on Astrolab’s FLEX rover, moving an average of 94 kilograms of regolith simulant in just 3.5 minutes. Additionally, the company has collaborated with ispace to deliver scientific instruments for regolith research, and with Orbit Fab to develop in-situ resource utilization systems for converting regolith into water, oxygen, and metals.

      Vermeer’s lunar experience is bolstered by its existing collaboration with Interlune, a Seattle-based startup focused on harvesting helium-3. Together, they presented a full-scale excavation prototype in May 2025 capable of processing 100 metric tonnes of regolith each hour. The Department of Energy has signed a purchase agreement with Interlune for lunar helium-3, with Vermeer planning to commence operations within four to six years.

      The Larger Context

      The Astroport-Vermeer partnership exists within a rapidly evolving lunar construction ecosystem. Interlune and Astrolab announced their own collaboration in March 2026, while Blue Origin, SpaceX, and various international agencies are developing lunar land