Equipment manufacturer Vermeer has expanded its strategic partnership with space startup Interlune to develop autonomous excavation machinery and site-preparation tools for future lunar infrastructure.
Building on a previous joint development agreement that produced a full-scale, all-electric prototype excavator in May 2025, the two companies state they are working to deliver a mission-ready machine by 2028. According to the firms, the timeline is designed to align with NASA's Moon Base programme.
The prototype is designed to excavate and process up to 100 tonnes of lunar regolith per hour, digging to depths of up to three metres below the surface. Interlune claims the system will extract helium-3, a light isotope of helium used in semiconductor manufacturing, quantum computing and potential fusion energy applications, before packaging it for transport back to Earth.
The Iowa-based manufacturer faces competition in the emerging off-world plant sector from Japanese construction equipment giant Komatsu. Komatsu announced plans in 2023 to develop a fully electric lunar excavator and exhibited a scaled prototype at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Operating machinery on the airless lunar surface presents significant engineering challenges, as the lack of oxygen rules out internal combustion engines. While battery-electric power is the primary alternative, Komatsu has highlighted that extreme lunar temperature fluctuations, which range from 110°C down to minus 170°C, require specialised thermal control and electrification technologies.
.gif)
