3D Additive Construction with Regolith for Surface Systems

3D Additive Fabrication is already planned to be demonstrated on the International Space Station (ISS).  Polymer parts will be printed on ISS by Made in Space inc. This will prove the feasibility of "Massless Exploration" where parts can be made on the ISS with zero mass transported from Earth.  The European Space Agency also plans to 3D print parts on ISS but made from a metallic powder feedstock.  The possibilities and benefits are tremendous, so these initial steps are important to learn how to deal with the unique space environment especially micro-gravity.

Future feedstocks will include raw planetary regolith and feedstocks derived from the regolith such as aluminum, iron, titanium, platinum and magnesium.  The lessons learned from the ISS efforts will be rolled into this technology development effort and vice versa. 

The logistics required to set up a human outpost on another planetary surface are vast and prohibitively expensive. Space transportation costs are high, so the corresponding value of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) to make structures and spare parts using local materials is also high.

By developing new technologies to transport, position, emplace, bind and from a net shape with regolith, parts and structures can be built on Asteroids, the Moon, Mars and other moons so that a robust logistics space mission architecture will result which means higher reliability and safety.

3D printing is a game changer due to it’s efficiency and digital manufacturing methods which allows electronic computer files to be uploaded from Earth to a space destination and then structures and parts can be constructed or fabricated using local resources.

In addition, terrestrial spinoffs are also possible. The state of Hawaii has expressed interest in using this sustainable technology to build structures and roads using locally available in-situ volcanic lava basalt as a spin-off technology to build Hawaiian civil infrastructure such as sidewalks, roads, bridges, support structures and housing. By avoiding the importation of raw materials such as asphalt, Portland cement, pavers and bricks, the state of Hawaii will gain economically and reduce its dependence on good imported from the mainland.  Raw basalt materials from the volcanic Hawaiian islands could be exported world wide, making Hawaii a net exporter of construction materials.

Currently houses cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to construct. By using 3D additive construction, it will be possible to reduce the construction cost of the primary structure by a factor of ten. Affordable housing will result in an increased standard of living for billions of people worldwide.  Rapid deployment of 3D Additive Construction robots will make it possible to quickly and efficiently build disaster relief housing using locally available granular materials such as sand or crushed rock.