As humanity prepares to return to the Moon and establish a sustained lunar presence, the need to test new technologies using accurate lunar soil analogs is critical. The Spring Institute for Forests on the Moon, whose mission is to propagate life throughout the universe, has partnered with the CNES Spaceship FR initiative to develop this comprehensive Lunar Regolith Simulant Database. The CNES Spaceship project aims to foster collaboration among science, research, and industry to develop disruptive systems and increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of future Moon and Mars technologies.
Because actual Apollo, Luna, and Chang’e returned samples are scarce and preserved for highly specialized science, researchers must rely on terrestrial simulants to replicate the physical, mineralogical, and chemical properties of the lunar surface. However, there is no “one-size-fits-all” simulant; materials must be carefully tailored to specific use cases, such as In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), geotechnical engineering, regolith-based 3D printing, or lunar regolith bioremediation.
This interactive web dashboard provides researchers, engineers, and educators with a centralized, searchable catalogue of over 80 lunar regolith simulants developed by institutions worldwide. Built to ensure traceability and standardization in space research, the database allows users to explore materials designed to mimic Lunar Highlands, Low-Ti Mare, High-Ti Mare, and specialized dust or geotechnical simulants.
Key Features for Researchers
• Interactive Global Map: View the geographic origins, feedstocks, and developing institutions of simulants worldwide on an interactive, clustered map.
• Advanced Filtering & Search: Filter the database by specific criteria, including simulant type (Mare, Highland, Dust, Geotechnical), country of origin, institutional creator, and current availability status.
• In-Depth Composition Data: Access detailed breakdowns of bulk chemical oxides (e.g., SiO2, Al2O3, FeO) and NASA-standardized mineral group classifications (Plagioclase Feldspar, Pyroxene, Olivine, Ilmenite, and Glass).
• Side-by-Side Comparison Mode: Select two simulants to evaluate them simultaneously, analyzing differences in density, particle size distribution, morphology, and Figures of Merit (FoM) fidelity scores.
• Data Export: Download filtered simulant datasets in CSV format for offline analysis and integration into external research models.
Data Curation & Policy
To ensure the highest level of accuracy for the space research community, all mineral and chemical compositions curated within this tool prioritize primary technical data sheets and peer-reviewed characterization papers. All mineral compositions are validated to sum to ≤99%, and manually curated data is preserved to prevent automated overwriting.
By aggregating this crucial data into a single, FAIR-compliant (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) platform, The Spring Institute and CNES aim to accelerate advancements in lunar construction, oxygen extraction, and bio-regenerative life support systems—paving the way for sustainable lunar habitats and extraterrestrial agriculture.
Are you a researcher developing novel simulants? Or do you have any suggestions or improvements? Do not hesitate to contact us for feedback! You can reach out to via “Contact Us”.