Space Resource Technologies (SRT) is the world’s leading producer of high-fidelity planetary regolith simulants. We provide researchers, engineers, space agencies, and educators with accurate testing materials that replicate the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of lunar, Martian, and asteroid surfaces.
Our simulants are used globally to test hardware, validate ISRU technologies, and prepare systems for real planetary environments before they ever leave Earth.
Exolith Lab® was founded in 2018 at the University of Central Florida by Dr. Dan Britt and Anna Metke, with support from CLASS and the Florida Space Institute, to develop high-fidelity planetary regolith simulants. The lab quickly became a trusted resource within the global space research community.
In 2023, the manufacturing and distribution of these simulants transitioned into a dedicated commercial entity, Space Resource Technologies, led by Anna Metke. Today, SRT is recognized as the world’s leading producer of high-fidelity regolith simulants, with over 300 tonnes delivered to customers in more than 50 countries worldwide.
We design and manufacture planetary regolith simulants that accurately replicate real extraterrestrial materials.
Our products are used for:
We offer both standardized and custom simulants, produced at scale and backed by scientific rigor.
Space hardware does not get a second chance.
Testing with inaccurate materials introduces risk - wasted time, failed systems, and costly redesigns. High-fidelity simulants reduce uncertainty and increase confidence, ensuring technologies are ready for the environments they will actually encounter.
That is why our materials are among the most widely used and cited regolith simulants in peer-reviewed research worldwide.
Our mission is to support humanity’s expansion beyond Earth by providing the most accurate planetary testing materials available.
By bridging the gap between terrestrial laboratories and extraterrestrial environments, we help enable safer missions, better hardware, and faster progress toward sustained planetary operations.
Our work supports the technologies that will define the next era of space exploration.
The term regolith refers to the “dirt” layer covering solid rock on the moon’s surface, which is loose, heterogeneous, superficial deposits. Our regolith simulant, often referred to as just “simulant”, is synthesized from terrestrial materials to mimic the chemical, mechanical or engineering properties of the materials that one would find on the moon.
There are two main regions of the moon: the lighter regions known as the Highlands, which is mainly Plagioclase, often used interchangeably with anorthosite - a type of plagioclase. The darker regions of the moon, referred to as Mare, is mainly composed of silicates and oxides. A few examples of these silicates and oxides are olivine, pyroxene (bronzite) , ilmenite, and basalt (lava Rock) which you will find throughout our lunar compositions.
On the moon, this layer of lunar regolith can be hazardous to human health without proper protection, and detrimental to space hardware. This is where our In-Situ Resource Utilization mission was birthed - since returned regolith from space missions is far too precious, we have created a High-Fidelity analog to make it accessible for everyone. Researchers are now able to use the regolith simulant recreated at Space Resource Technologies with 99% accuracy to test materials before launch to ensure proper safety.
Our main Martian simulant - Mars Global Simulant (MGS-1), is representative of a standard soil on Mars. It is based on Rocknest soil analyzed by the NASA Mars rover, Curiosity, in 2012. Exolith’s Regolith Simulant imitates this sample as a general approximation of martian regolith for any purpose.
We also produce variants such as MGS-1S enriched with polyhydrated sulfate gypsum, MGS-1C, enriched in hydrated clay minerals (smectite), and JEZ-1, imitating the Jezero Delta Crater, as well as custom orders.
Mars is red due to an abundance of iron oxide on its surface which creates a lot of rust. Besides iron oxide, Mars is abundant in clays, silicates, salts, carbonates, and sulfates. Like the regolith found on the moon, these loose, heterogenous, deposits are subject to frequent dust storms which can cover rover solar panels, ultimately killing them, as well as damaging the rover wheels.
Our High-Fidelity simulants are created mineralogically accurate that mimic the expected chemical and physical properties of the Martian Regolith. Overcoming challenges, such as Mars dust storms, to preserve space hardware is of the utmost importance for creating a sustainable space ecosystem in an inhospitable enviorment.
