Lunar regolith is a dielectric material which can be efficiently heated to melting temperature using microwave energy [1]. Sintered or melted regolith can then be used as feedstock to construct infrastructure on the Moon, including landing pads, roadways and habitats. Additionally, it can be used to produce more complex components using additive manufacturing.

A material’s permittivity, (with the real part or dielectric constant ε’, and imaginary part or loss factor, ε’’), is the factor governing the behaviour of materials under electromagnetic fields, and thus, determining the efficiency of microwave heating. For lunar regolith, permittivity increases with temperature [2].

Temperature-dependent measurements of permittivity in lunar regolith simulants, up to their melting temperature, are crucial for enhancing computational models and increasing the accuracy of numerical simulations related to the microwave heating process. This will facilitate improved modelling for the design and optimisation of regolith melting using microwave heating.