NASA wants to return to the Moon. The Artemis III mission is planned for 2025. In the long term, the space agency hopes to be able to organise a base on the moon where astronauts can live. To make this possible, NASA wants to build houses on the moon. Not only astronauts, but also ordinary people (tourists, scientists) will be able to live in them.
The plan is as follows: first, a house will be built on the moon using a 3D printer. According to scientists, the structure of the house will be made of special lunar concrete collected from the surface of the Earth’s satellite.
NASA has hired Austin-based 3D printing company Icon to work on the Olympus project. The company produced the first prototype of the Austin house in 2018, using a patented machine called the Vulcan. According to a Forbes report, the house is 350 square metres.
In 2023, Icon unveiled the first model of a ranch house in Georgetown, Texas. According to the report, this is part of a global project. A total of 100 homes are planned.
According to Forbes, NASA first funded Icon in 2020. Two years later, another $60 million was announced for a building system that could be used beyond Earth.
The idea is to send a 3D printer on a rocket to the moon. After that, the technology will do the work.
However, the weight of the materials and, of course, the incredible distance remain insurmountable challenges. Therefore, such initiatives can only be considered a plan for now.
In the next phase, NASA has reportedly brought in additional experts and test chambers to test the durability of the materials. The first test of the Icon 3D printer is expected to be completed in the winter of 2024.
