Industrial equipment manufacturer Vermeer Corporation is working with Astroport Space Technologies on the development of an autonomous construction machine for operation on the Moon.

The project will look to adapt Vermeer's surface mining machinery to operate in a low gravity environment with massive temperature swings and harsh surface conditions. The aim is to build a lunar construction machine to support the building of a permanent habitable moon base.

Astroport will apply its  Universal Tool Implement Payload Adapter (UTIPA) technology, a modular adapter system of interchangeable tools designed for robotic construction in the Moon's extreme environment, by adjusting the equipment's traditional reliance on mass and weight.

"Vermeer has always been about finding a better way to get tough work done," said Jason Andringa, President and CEO of Vermeer Corporation. "For more than seven decades Vermeer has built equipment that is working farms and ranches, managing natural resources and connecting people to daily necessities. This collaboration is an example of our continuation of that important work, applying our expertise in automation and heavy equipment to the lunar environment."

Sam Ximenes, Astroport Founder and CEO said: "The U.S. is committed to a permanent lunar presence, and that requires a robust space industrial base. By partnering with Vermeer, we are delivering the 'Lunar Iron' necessary to dig foundations, build roads and landing pads, and provide the hardened infrastructure required for critical assets such as safe nuclear power deployment and habitation on the Moon."

The goal is to develop autonomous systems capable of handling the "dirty work", such as site preparation, by adapting Vermeer's high-torque cutting and trenching technologies for lunar deployment.

This work aligns with NASA's Moon Base programme to construct lunar infrastructure by 2030.