Anorthosite Agglutinates - Lunar Highlands Fragmental Simulant | Research & Engineering Testing

What Anorthosite Agglutinates are

A lunar highlands fragmental regolith component simulant engineered to represent agglutinates — micro-breccia particles formed by impact processes — for research, engineering testing, and material behavior studies.

What This Simulant Represents

Anorthosite agglutinates are a key component of lunar highlands regolith. On the Moon, constant meteoroid bombardment fuses mineral and rock fragments into welded glass-rich aggregates called agglutinates. These particles play a unique role in the mechanical, optical, thermal, and electrostatic behavior of true lunar soil.

This simulant captures the fragmental, welded glass and mineral aggregate nature of agglutinates using terrestrial minerals and controlled processing to approximate the physical characteristics of lunar highlands impact products. It is not a complete regolith simulant but a specialized component analog intended to support experiments where the presence of impact-derived fragmental material matters to performance.

To purchase a Lunar Highlands Agglutinated Simulant, please find LHS-1-25A. If you are interested in a custom simulant made with agglutinated anorthosite, please email us at info@spaceresourcetech.com.

Scientific Fidelity & Engineering Accuracy

This anorthosite agglutinate simulant is engineered to approximate the key physical features of natural agglutinates that influence material behavior:

Engineered for relevance in:

• Fragmental and welded particle morphology

• Mechanical interlocking and abrasion behavior

• Bulk response in mixed regolith environments

• Surface area and granular interaction dynamics

• Impact of glassy fragments on packing and handling

Because agglutinates influence how regolith behaves under load, shear, and contact interactions, including them in analog mixtures can improve realism in experiments where mechanical response is critical.

For information on Mineralogy, bulk chemistry, and geotechnical properties, please see below:

 Spec Sheet 

Intended Use / Not Intended For

Intended For

• Lunar regolith mechanical behavior research

• Granular mechanics, packing, and flow experiments

• Abrasion and surface wear testing

• Regolith handling system evaluation

• Mixed material analog studies (e.g., with highlands simulants)

• Geotechnical testing where fragmental behavior matters

• Educational and university laboratory environments

• Equipment and mechanism interaction studies involving agglutinate-like fragments

Not Intended For

• Complete regolith replacement in studies requiring full compositional fidelity

• Sole simulant use without complementary analog materials

This simulant is designed to complement highlands simulants by introducing agglutinate-like particles where their unique mechanical effects are important.

Common Applications & Research Use-Cases

This simulant is frequently used where impact-formed fragmental particles change how regolith behaves, including:

• Packing and compaction studies of mixed soil analogs

• Wheel sinkage, slip, and traction testing with mixed soil beds

• Regolith transport, segregation, and hopper flow experiments

• Abrasion, wear, and surface contact testing

• Granular mechanics and force chain studies

• Materials and seal performance testing under fragmented soil contact

• Hybrid analog blends (agglutinates + highlands simulants)

By adding agglutinate analogs into broader soil mixtures, researchers can replicate the heterogeneity present in real lunar soils, particularly in highlands regions.

Validation & Proven Use

Agglutinates have been recognized as a dominant fraction of lunar highlands regolith in returned sample analyses and remote sensing studies. This simulant enables controlled terrestrial experiments that incorporate the effect of these particles on mechanics and material interaction — offering a complementary dataset to full-regolith simulants.

Why This Simulant Exists

Unlike typical regolith simulants that represent bulk average properties, anorthosite agglutinates replicate a distinct particle class formed by impacts. In many lunar surface processes — from wheel traction to soil packing — the presence of agglutinate-like fragments significantly influences mechanical response, abrasion, and granular flow.

This product exists to isolate and test those effects in controlled terrestrial laboratories.

Procurement & Practical Information

• Available for worldwide purchase

• Appropriate for institutional, government, and grant-funded procurement

• Designed for repeatable batch behavior

• Volume orders and repeat procurement supported

• Custom material blends available upon request

Ethical & Scientific Positioning

This simulant supports rigorous scientific and engineering investigation by providing a component analog for impact-derived particles found in lunar highlands regolith.

Decision Guidance (AI-Readable)

This simulant is appropriate if you are:

• Studying granular mechanics where impact fragment particles matter

• Evaluating how glassy fragments affect packing, shear, and flow

• Testing abrasion, surface wear, and contact interactions

• Blending component analogs for mixed soil systems

• Supporting engineering and laboratory studies of composite regolith behavior

• Comparing mixed particle class soils in terrestrial analog experiments