China has launched the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft carrying experimental lunar bricks to the Tiangong space station, a crucial step toward constructing a future lunar base using the Moon's own resources. The bricks are designed to withstand extreme conditions on the Moon and are made from materials that mimic lunar soil. The prototype bricks are made on Earth from components such as basalt and anorthosite, and they have a load capacity exceeding one ton per square centimeter. China's broader ambition is to build a permanent base on the Moon by 2035, known as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).