NASA Has a New Approach to Building Systems on the Moon and Mars

By Jamie Shore -

Space Flight Program by NASA Constructing landing pads, roads, and habitats on the Moon will appear different than the common building site on Earth. Excavation robots will have to be lightweight and capable of digging in reduced gravity.

Whole New Construction Methods Designed by NASA

As an important part of the Artemis program, NASA has a new concept for the core surface elements required to establish a sustained presence on the Moon. This emphasizes a way to allow astronauts to conduct more science and explore. They are thinking about putting in place a special lunar terrain vehicle, a surface habitat on the Moon, and a habitable mobility platform or lunar RV by the end of the decade. The organization is investing in advanced manufacturing, which is one of the five industries in total, for the future to enable improved life on Earth and space exploration. This also includes technologies that can find and use the available sources on Mars and the Moon to build out future infrastructure.

Mars Ice House Today, NASA is working with a highly-advanced construction technologies company called ICON. It’s based in Austin, Texas. The R&D of a space-based construction system could support the future exploration of Mars and the Moon. The company has 3D-printed whole communities of structures and homes on Earth and participated in NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge. There, the agency shows an innovative construction method and technologies that may be adaptable for applications beyond our home planet.

Further Collaboration with NASA

Another U.S. government agency is extremely interested in applications and technology here on Earth. The U.S. gave ICON a dual-sense SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) to expand 3D printing to workable and livable structures. As a part of the contract that NASA also funded will be the exploration commonalities between Off-Earth and Earth-based applications. ICON will also put effort into this investment.

human habitat in space picture The co-founder and CEO of ICON states that from the very establishment of the company, they have been thinking about off-world construction. They are confident that learning to build on other planets than the Earth will also offer the required breakthroughs required to solve housing challenges humanity faces in this world.

The SBIR award will build on ICON’s commercial demonstrations and activities on Phase 3 of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge. The whole project can result in a unique collaboration to further the technology development efforts by NASA.