China moves closer to build 'Guanghan Palace' on moon with 100-gram bricks

China has moved one step closer to fulfilling its ambitious dream of building a palace on the Moon.

Specially engineered 100-gram bricks that were designed to survive in the harshest environment on the lunar surface have been brought back to Earth after spending nearly a year on the moon.

Experts appear hopeful to study the survivability of such rocks on the moon for longer durations of time.

Early inspections suggest that 34-blocks, each weighing 100-grams, brought back by Shenzhou-21 astronauts from the lunar surface have survived their first year in space, providing an early proof-of-concept for future lunar constructions.

According to a report by Time Magazine, China plans to build a research facility on the moon known as “Guanghan palace”.

The project is inspired by a traditional Chinese fairy tale and part of an East Asian country’s long-term space ambitions to establish a permanent presence on the moon. They have set the initial timeline to start construction by 2028.

China plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 and have a basic structure for the research facility completed by 2035.

The bricks were engineered using materials similar to the composition of the moon’s regolith and they have all remained in good condition.

An associate professor at Huanzhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Zhou Yan, said the bricks appear lighter in color, adding, “It requires further assessment to figure out the reason”.