Brick samples will blast off aboard a cargo rocket heading for China’s Tiangong space station, part of Beijing’s mission to put humans on the Moon by 2030 and build a permanent base there by 2035.

It is a daunting task: any structure has to withstand huge amounts of cosmic radiation, extreme temperature variations and moonquakes, and getting building materials there in the first place is a costly procedure. Constructing the base out of the Moon itself could be a solution to those problems, scientists from a university in central Wuhan province hope.

The temperature on the Moon can vary drastically between 180 and -190 degrees Celsius (356 to -310 degrees Fahrenheit). Its lack of an atmosphere means it is subjected to large quantities of cosmic radiation as well as micrometeorites, while moonquakes can weaken any structure on its surface.

The exposure experiment will last three years, with samples sent back for testing every year.

Beijing is far from alone in looking to build the first lunar base. China’s planned outpost on the Moon, known as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), is a joint project with Russia. A dozen countries – including Thailand, Pakistan, Venezuela and Senegal – are partners in the initiative, as well as around 40 foreign organisations, according to Chinese state media.