Chinese 3D print system uses lunar bottom to construct habitats
A groundbreaking 3D printing technology developed by Chinese researchers makes creating moon structures possible with only the soil collected directly from the moon, which eliminates the need to transport building materials from the earth.
Engineers of the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory in Hefei, the province of Anhui, have built a working prototype of a Lunar Regolith 3D printer. According to senior engineer Yang Honglun, the device uses a reflective concentrator and fiber-optical transmission system to concentrate solar energy on temperatures that are sufficient to melt lunar land for construction.
“This breakthrough of Print has validated the feasibility of the use of moon bottom as the only rough building material, making it possible to use the actual in-end resource use and the need to transport, eliminate any extra materials from the earth,” Yang said.
The most important innovations include flexible production techniques with which the printer can produce both standardized bricks and adapted components for more complex installations.
Researchers have completed a series of demonstrations based on demonstrations, successfully melting and regolith stabbed in various forms. These tests validated the performance of the concentrator, optical energy transmission system and material formation processes.
Early project phases were aimed at resolving the challenge to concentrate solar energy and form reliable structures under moon conditions. The multidisciplinary team used expertise in fields, including thermal physics, material sciences, optics and mechanical engineering to develop the system.
The possibilities of the prototype include production utensils, platforms and buildings on the moon with only local materials. It also supports technologies for harvesting lunar energy and the extraction of resources.
Tiandu, as the laboratory is known locally, is a national research shub in Deep-Space founded by the China National Space Administration, the provincial government of Anhui and the University of Science and Technology of China. It works with flexible administration to promote innovation and talent management.
Since its foundation in June 2022, Tiandu has contributed to various space pole, including the Queqiao 2 Communications -Satellite and the Chang’e 6 mission, which returned the first lunar samples from the distant side of the moon.
The lab now leads the development of the first Mars Sample Research Facility and is looking for global scientific cooperation. “We welcome scientists from home and abroad to do research in Hefei,” says Li Hang, director of the management office of the lab.
