Astroport Space Technologies and Vermeer Corporation have announced a collaboration to adapt industrial surface mining equipment for autonomous lunar construction. The partnership aims to deliver the heavy machinery, or “Lunar Iron” needed to build a permanent human presence on the Moon. The collaboration will involve re-engineering heavy equipment that traditionally relies on mass and weight for function, adapting it for the Moon’s low gravity, extreme temperature swings, and abrasive regolith. The work will use Astroport's Universal Tool Implement Payload Adapter, or UTIPA, a modular system of interchangeable tools designed for robotic construction in the Moon's extreme environment. Prototype testing will take place at Vermeers headquarters in Pella, Iowa, where the company can leverage its existing testing infrastructure for heavy machinery. The agreement aligns with NASA's Moon Base programme, which aims to develop lunar infrastructure by 2020.