Autonomous Lunar Surface Construction Robot Swarm LunarBuild Design Begins: 3D Printing Habitats for Lunar Base
NASA selects ICON to develop lunar surface construction robot swarm LunarBuild, using lunar regolith for 3D printing habitats, planning to build first infrastructure for Artemis lunar base by 2032.
On January 20, 2030, NASA selected construction 3D printing company ICON to develop the lunar surface construction robot swarm LunarBuild. The system will use lunar surface regolith as raw material, 3D printing habitats and infrastructure through microwave sintering technology.
LunarBuild consists of four robots: excavation robot collecting and processing regolith, 3D printing robot using microwaves to heat regolith to 1200°C for sintering, transport robot moving prefabricated components, and quality inspection robot performing non-destructive testing.
ICON's co-founder said transporting building materials to the Moon costs approximately $1 million per kilogram. Using local lunar materials for 3D printing is the only economically viable approach. The first verification mission is planned for 2032, targeting a 12-square-meter dome habitat near Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole.
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