The Tool Desk
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San Antonio is building a regional case for supporting construction on the Moon, but it has not been formally designated a NASA lunar construction hub. The effort combines Astroport Space Technologies’ lunar-brick rover prototype, a proposed SwRI-hosted research and test center, and local university and student programs.
What does “lunar construction hub” mean for San Antonio?
It describes an emerging local ambition: develop technologies, research facilities and workforce skills that could help build infrastructure on the lunar surface. The available announcements support describing San Antonio as positioning itself for that role—not as a city NASA has officially named a hub.
The distinction matters because the work is at different stages. Astroport is developing a prototype; the proposed National Lunar Research Center remains an initiative whose funding is unresolved; and local research and STEM programs contribute to a broader ecosystem. None of those facts alone establishes a NASA designation or a completed lunar construction capability.
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Astroport Space Technologies, based at Port San Antonio, is developing Brickbot, a rover prototype intended to excavate and sift lunar regolith—the loose material covering the Moon—and turn it into bricks. The envisioned bricks could be used for foundations for landing pads, habitats and roads. The San Antonio Report describes the project and the surrounding local effort.
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Brickbot is still under development; it has not demonstrated construction on the Moon. The San Antonio Report says Astroport’s goal is to land a rover on the Moon by 2029 and demonstrate autonomous lunar masonry. That is the company’s target, not a confirmed NASA schedule or an achieved milestone.
Astroport founder and CEO Sam Ximenes told the San Antonio Report, “We want to make San Antonio known for lunar construction.” The ambition is to develop a lunar-surface supply chain extending from San Antonio to the Moon, but the sources do not establish a NASA contract or award for Brickbot.
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What is the proposed National Lunar Research Center?
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), Astroport and the WEX Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding for a proposed independent National Lunar Research Center (NLRC). SwRI says the initiative would use approximately 180 acres of SwRI-owned property adjacent to its San Antonio campus to simulate lunar terrain and the footprint of a Moon base. The intended work includes research, development, testing and evaluation.
The facility is proposed, not built or confirmed as fully funded. The San Antonio Report says SwRI is still seeking funding. SwRI’s June 15, 2026 announcement describes the initiative and its proposed site: SwRI’s National Lunar Research Center announcement.
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Ximenes said in that announcement, “Our lunar civil engineering work for NASA has established a clear engineering baseline for construction on the Moon.” That is an attributed statement about Astroport’s work; it does not mean NASA has endorsed or funded the proposed NLRC.
How do local organizations contribute?
The San Antonio Report describes activity beyond Astroport that helps explain the regional positioning:
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- Astroport develops lunar construction technology, including the Brickbot prototype.
- SwRI is the proposed host and research partner for the NLRC initiative.
- WEX Foundation contributes K–12 STEM programming and hands-on student activities.
- UTSA contributes university research, including work on lunar bricks under extreme conditions, Apollo lunar soil samples and simulated habitat hazards.
These activities should not be treated as a single NASA program: the report does not say that every project or educational activity is a NASA contract.
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What has NASA announced, and what does it establish?
On June 26, 2026, NASA announced that it had selected 41 proposals from 37 companies through its 2025 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity. The selected proposals are intended to mature technologies for long-term lunar presence and Mars exploration. NASA’s announcement provides broader context for collaboration with commercial technology developers; it does not establish an award, endorsement or contract for San Antonio’s proposed center.
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NASA Advanced Research and Technology Division director Greg Stover said, “We are empowering American industry to become active partners in NASA’s missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.” The announcement and its selection figures are available from NASA.
Quick Recap
What is established—and what remains a goal?
- Established: Astroport is developing a prototype intended to make bricks from lunar regolith; SwRI, Astroport and WEX signed an MOU for a proposed research center; and the San Antonio Report describes related UTSA research and WEX student programming.
- Proposed or targeted: The NLRC site and its approximately 180-acre test area are proposed, with funding unresolved. Astroport’s 2029 lunar landing and demonstration target is a company goal.
- Not established by these sources: A formal NASA designation of San Antonio as a hub, a completed or funded NLRC, a Brickbot lunar landing, or a specific NASA award for the proposed center.
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