The Technical Feasibility of 3D Printing Technology for Lunar Base

Paper number

IAC-23,D3,1,6,x77733

Author

Ms. Gagandeep Kaur, India

Coauthor

Mr. Bintang Alam Semesta Wisran AM, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Indonesia

Coauthor

Mr. Abdullah Algharrash, Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), Saudi Arabia

Year

2023

Abstract

Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) has been suggested for the self-sustaining habitation and future space exploration. The main idea behind focusing on ISRU is based on the fact that launching all the necessary resources from Earth to space is very restrictive and expensive (it can cost up to $ 20,000 to transport one kilogram of materials from Earth to Moon which can exponentially scale if we were to transport to space bodies further away). This is further evidenced in the fact that the payload mass per launch is restricted by the mass of propellant required to escape the Earth’s gravity.

Aside from that, we utilized the use of FOSS (Free Open-Source Software) to detect the potential regions with access to available solar energy for 3D printing for lunar architecture. The adaptation of 3D printing technology on the moon is a referenced on paper to highlight the sustainability of the additive manufacturing for creating shielding lunar habitats in the future.  

In particular, we take into account the availability of raw materials with access to regular sunlight intensity in those regions. Adaptation of the 3D printing technology on the moon is presented to demonstrate the sustainability of the additive manufacturing for future missions.

Abstract document

IAC-23,D3,1,6,x77733.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-23,D3,1,6,x77733.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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