A Texas company is creating a 3D printer that could build roadways, landing pads and habitats on the moon.

Austin-based Icon is developing a laser system that would melt the moon's soil to build structures layer by layer - melting one section of soil, adding more soil on top and then repeating the process.

This machine would be capable of printing nearly any design, and it would save Nasa billions of dollars sparing the agency from having to launch aluminium and other building materials into space. It costs more than US$1mil for each kilogram of freight sent to the moon.

"If we're trying to establish a sustainable presence for humans on the surface of the moon, we need a variety of infrastructure," said Corky Clinton, associate director of the Nasa Marshall Space Flight Center's Science and Technology Office. "That includes power. It includes consumables. But it also requires a place for the astronauts to live and work for long periods of time."

Icon was founded in 2017 with the hopes that 3D-printed homes, made with advanced robotics, software and a special cement-based material, could combat the global housing crisis by delivering homes faster and more affordably. Its current projects include a 100-home community outside of Austin and barracks for the US Army at Fort Bliss in El Paso.

The company caught Nasa's attention during a competition that challenged businesses to imagine 3D printed habitats for the moon. Icon qualified for the finals in 2019 but wasn't able to participate as it worked on other projects. Icon co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard later took his children to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., and he gave a presentation to Clinton since he was in town. Clinton leads Nasa's development of construction technology for the agency's moon to Mars effort.

"We were really impressed," Clinton said.

In late November, Nasa announced a US$57.2mil contract with ICON to develop its lunar construction technologies. The company has also raised US$451mil in venture capital.

Icon expects to send a technology demonstration to the moon later this decade. Its 3D printer that uses laser technology, called the Olympus construction system, will melt the moon's soil to create a small structural element, said Melodie Yashar, Icon's vice president of building design and performance.

This would be followed by a larger technology demonstration and, ultimately, infrastructure on the moon.

But the Olympus construction system is just one technology Icon is developing for deep space exploration. It's also looking at adapting the company's cement-based 3D printing for Mars. The building material could be created with Martian soil.

Icon recently built a structure at NASA's Johnson Space Center to simulate a Mars habitat. Nasa is going to have four people live there for an entire year to help the agency identify and remedy the physical, mental and social challenges that arise when living on another planet.

"We're going to be using multiple construction methods just for the sake of redundancy and for diversity in our approach," Yashar said. "Terrestrially, we have multiple ways of approaching construction of a certain house or type of building. I think in space, it's going to be largely the same. We'll have different methods for different applications, and we'll use the best tool for the job."

Icon would like to build human habitats with the Olympus system for the moon. This is part of the company's long-term plans. But at least initially, the laser-built structures would need to be paired with an inflatable habitat to ensure astronauts are protected from the vacuum of space.

Yashar knows there will be many incremental steps to develop its system for the moon. She said it's important to keep that bigger vision in mind while the company accomplishes its near-term goals and technology demonstrations.

"It's important to have an uncompromising vision of what the future should be," Yashar said. "This is where we see things headed for infrastructure on the moon."

 - TNS