Astroport Space Technologies and XelerateVR have formed a strategic partnership to let human operators on VR treadmills control humanoid robots building on the Moon.
Full-body tracking means the operator’s walking, reaching and gripping transfer to the robot, keeping skilled hands-on work possible while the worker stays off the lunar surface.
Teleoperation is the first of several space applications planned, with the treadmill also set to serve as a training system for astronauts rehearsing surface operations.
September 1, 2026 – Astroport Space Technologies , a developer of civil engineering and materials technologies for building infrastructure on the Moon, and XelerateVR , a developer of omnidirectional treadmills for immersive virtual reality (VR) training and simulation, have recently announced a strategic partnership to make lunar construction safe and scalable.
The companies stated that they plan to pair humanoid robots on the Moon with human operators who control them via full-body-tracked, 360-degree VR treadmills. The partnership brings together Astroport’s lunar construction technology and XelerateVR’s full-body motion platform to advance lunar operations.
According to the companies, in the system they plan to develop a human operator would see what the robot sees through a VR headset. XelerateVR’s omnidirectional treadmill tracks the operator’s entire body, meaning that when they walk, the robot walks. Similarly, when the operator reaches, grips or kneels, the robot mirrors those movements too.
Paired with Astroport’s lunar construction systems, the approach is designed to keep the human in control while taking them out of harm’s way, and will let skilled workers perform hands-on work on the lunar surface from the safety of a pressurized habitat or the cabin of a crewed lander.
Commenting on the partnership, Marvin Fachtner, Chief Executive Officer at XelerateVR, said: “People imagine lunar construction as astronauts with power tools. We imagine the same worker in a safe habitat, wearing a headset and walking on our treadmill, while a robot on the surface mirrors every movement. It doesn’t feel like piloting a drone. It feels like being there. That is how you bring human skill to the Moon without risking human lives.”