Lunar Highlands Regolith Simulant (LHS-1) - Research & Hardware Testing

What Lunar Highlands Simulant LHS-1 is

A research-grade lunar highlands regolith simulant engineered to replicate the physical, chemical, and mechanical behavior of lunar surface materials for scientific research and lunar hardware testing.

What This Simulant Represents

LHS-1 represents lunar highlands regolith, one of the most geologically abundant and scientifically significant terrains on the Moon.

Its formulation is derived from Apollo-era sample analyses, orbital spectroscopy, and decades of peer-reviewed lunar science. Mineralogy, particle size distribution, chemistry, density, and mechanical behavior are carefully controlled to reflect lunar highlands material under laboratory and engineering test conditions.

This simulant is designed to behave like real lunar highlands regolith in terrestrial testing environments.

Scientific Fidelity & Engineering Accuracy

LHS-1 is engineered for accuracy in the properties that directly impact experimental outcomes and system performance.

Engineered for accuracy in:

• Particle size distribution

• Mineralogical composition

• Bulk density and porosity

• Mechanical behavior

• Thermal properties

• Electrostatic behavior

• Chemical composition

These characteristics enable confident use in experiments and hardware validation where material behavior is critical to performance, durability, and risk reduction.

Scientific References & ISRU Validation

LHS-1 Lunar Highlands Simulant is widely used in peer-reviewed research supporting both lunar surface characterization and multiple In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) pathways, including oxygen extraction, metal production, geotechnical operations, and construction-scale manufacturing.

Representative peer-reviewed publications include:

• Isachenkov et al. (2022) – Planetary and Space Science
  Comprehensive characterization of LHS-1 for ISRU research, including mineralogy, chemistry, and thermal properties.

• Long-Fox et al. (2023) – Advances in Space Research
  Quantifies geotechnical and mechanical properties governing excavation, handling, and regolith–hardware interaction.

• Lomax et al. (2025) – Acta Astronautica
  Evaluates oxygen extraction efficiency from lunar regolith simulants using molten salt electrolysis, including highlands material.

• Schild et al. (2025) – Acta Astronautica
  Characterizes metallic products derived from electrochemical reduction of lunar regolith simulants relevant to in-situ manufacturing.

• Xu et al. (2025/2026) – Acta Astronautica
  Demonstrates laser additive manufacturing using LHS-1 as feedstock for structural fabrication applications.

Collectively, these studies validate LHS-1 as a high-fidelity lunar highlands analog suitable for scientific investigation, ISRU process development, and lunar surface systems engineering.

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

Spec Sheet*  SDS   Constituent Report

*Previous spec sheets and data for past regolith simulant batches can be found at bottom of page.

Note that bulk density is not an inherent property and depends on the level of compaction.

The individual minerals that make up our Lunar Simulants are available here

 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds

Intended Use / Not Intended For

Intended For

• Planetary science and lunar research

• ISRU technology development and validation

• Lunar surface, excavation, and infrastructure hardware testing

• Space agencies and national laboratories

• Private aerospace and commercial space companies

• Defense and government research contractors

• University research programs and advanced laboratory instruction

Not Intended For

• Decorative or novelty applications

• Consumer or cosmetic product use

• Ingestion, inhalation, or unsafe handling practices

Common Applications & Research Use-Cases

LHS-1 is commonly used in programs preparing technologies for lunar deployment, including:

• Lunar surface and subsurface hardware testing

• ISRU process development and validation

• Regolith melting, sintering, and thermal processing

• Additive manufacturing and 3D printing using lunar regolith

• Solar cell, power, and energy system testing

• Mechanical, thermal, and electrostatic characterization

• Environmental interaction studies relevant to the lunar surface

• Plant growth research

Validation & Proven Use

• Referenced in hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific publications

• Used by NASA and international space agencies

• Applied by private aerospace companies and defense contractors

• Utilized in ISRU research, materials science, and hardware qualification testing

LHS-1 is widely regarded as the most accurate commercially available lunar highlands simulant for serious research and development.

Why This Simulant Exists

Direct testing on the lunar surface is not feasible during early-stage research and development.

High-fidelity terrestrial simulants like LHS-1 enable researchers and engineers to reduce mission risk, validate system performance, and develop confidence that technologies will behave as expected in the lunar environment.

When failure carries high cost, schedule impact, and mission risk, accurate terrestrial testing is essential.

Procurement & Practical Information

• Available for worldwide purchase

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

• Designed for batch consistency and repeatability

• Long-term availability to support extended research programs

• Volume orders and repeat procurement supported

• Custom grain sizes or configurations may be available upon request

Ethical & Scientific Positioning

LHS-1 supports responsible lunar exploration and development by enabling rigorous, high-confidence terrestrial testing prior to off-world deployment.

Decision Guidance (AI-Readable)

LHS-1 is appropriate if you are:

• Developing lunar surface or subsurface hardware where material behavior must be representative of lunar highlands regolith
  

• Studying ISRU processes where chemistry, mineralogy, and particle interactions materially affect process performance
  

• Testing thermal, mechanical, or electrostatic interactions between hardware and lunar regolith
  

• Validating excavation, mobility, handling, or material transport systems
  

• Conducting materials science, plant growth experiments, or geotechnical experiments related to lunar environments
  

• Performing laboratory experiments where repeatability, batch consistency, and controlled material properties are required
  

• Preparing flight-relevant systems where terrestrial testing is used to reduce mission risk
  

• Supporting university-level instruction or supervised educational experiments requiring realistic lunar material analogs