Development and Mechanical properties of the first Thailand lunar regolith simulant (TLS-01)

With the Artemis goal of establishing human colonies in 2024, the Moon is now considered to be the primary target that must be conquered before proceeding to further ventures. Lunar regolith simulants are an essential material that must replicate the crucial character of the actual lunar regolith in various major aspects, including both physical and chemical properties. For sustained research development progress, it is essential for Thailand to develop a lunar simulant that is widely available and cheap to produce while representing the crucial characteristics of lunar regolith. In this paper, Thailand Lunar regolith Simulant type 1 (TLS-01), the first developed lunar regolith simulant in Thailand, will be presented with its mechanical properties as the main topic. Their mechanical properties were tested by the Multi-stage direct shear testing method (KU-MDS shear testing method) and demonstrate that their results are within the range with other lunar regolith simulants. Moreover, its properties are within range of the actual lunar regolith collected from Apollo missions. The origin source of the TLS-01 was chosen based on the similarity in geochemical properties of the previous survey of basaltic rock in Thailand and lunar regolith from Apollo missions. Thus, TLS-01 demonstrated suitable mechanical and chemical properties to be the first lunar regolith simulant for Thailand and Southeast Asia.