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In this study, the micromechanical interparticle contact behavior of "De NoArtri" (DNA‐1A) grains is investigated, which is a lunar regolith simulant, using a custom‐built micromechanical loading apparatus, and the results on the DNA‐1A are compared with Ottawa sand which is a standard quartz soil. Material characterization is performed through several techniques. Based on microhardness intender and surface profiler analyses, it was found that the DNA‐1A grains had lower values of hardness and higher values of surface roughness compared to Ottawa sand grains. In normal contact micromechanical tests, the results showed that the DNA‐1A had softer behavior compared with Ottawa sand grains and that cumulative plastic displacements were observed for the DNA‐1A simulant during cyclic compression, whereas for Ottawa sand grains elastic displacements were dominant in the cyclic sequences. In tangential contact micromechanical tests, it was shown that the interparticle friction values of DNA‐1A were much greater than that of Ottawa sand grains, which was attributed to the softer contact response and greater roughness of the DNA‐1A grains. Widely used theoretical models both in normal and tangential directions were fitted to the experimental data to obtain representative parameters, which can be useful as input in numerical analyses which use the discrete element method. Plain Language Summary: Lunar regolith simulants comprise natural soils found on Earth or artificially created materials which mimic the properties of the real lunar surface soil. Understanding the behavior of these simulants can help researchers to prepare for further explorations and settling of facilities on the Moon. In this study, an attempt is made to examine in the laboratory the behavior of the lunar regolith simulant "De NoArtri" (DNA‐1A), and the results are compared with a standard soil of quartz grains to understand the differences and obtain insights into the properties of the lunar simulant. The behavior of regolith simulant is compared with Ottawa sand grains to understand the differences between these two materials in terms of material properties as well as micromechanical behavior. This micromechanical behavior gives a fundamental understanding of the mechanical response of the material and can provide important parameters to be further utilized in computer simulations so that settling of facilities on the Moon surface can be designed safely. Key Points: The interface properties of DNA‐1A lunar regolith simulant and Ottawa sand were studied with an advanced grain‐scale apparatusDNA‐1A had much lower normal contact stiffness but higher interparticle friction angles compared with Ottawa sandAnalytical model by Yimsiri and Soga (2000, https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2000.50.5.559) in the normal direction fits well the experimental curves for the entire span of displacements [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]