Abstract As the goal of returning to the Moon and building a lunar colony becomes more prominent within the space industry, research and experiments in lunar exploration and establishment are steadily increasing. Among the many resources required for lunar-centric research, lunar simulant is one of the most vital, with multiple uses across various fields, such as engineering, chemistry, and biology. This study focuses on the development of the alternative Thailand lunar simulant 01 (TLS-01A), which utilizes raw material sourced from locally available mines in the Chanthaburi-Trat area in Thailand. This simulant was processed using simpler methods than the previously developed Thailand Lunar Simulant (TLS-01) and was geared towards small-scale production. First, production began with the selection of the basaltic rock raw materials sites. Then, we ground the raw material into finer sizes to replicate the lunar regolith. Next, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to analyze grain morphology. Geochemical properties were determined using wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Finally, direct shear tests were conducted to analyze the physical properties of the simulants. The processed simulant was found to exhibit rough and sharp edges, while its friction angle and cohesion value were 29° and 3.05?kPa, respectively, which are in line with well-established lunar simulants.
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