Houses for Civilians on the Moon by 2040

NASA’s Moon to Mars Autonomous Construction Technologies project to advance space-based construction capabilities for long-duration exploration missions on the Moon or Mars. [Image– ICON] 

NASA is set to launch a new space mission to inhabitate the moon with humans and that include building houses on the lunar surface. These houses would not just for astronauts but also for civilians. By 2040, NASA aims to establish the first subdivision in space on the moon, with the potential for future habitation on Mars as well, according to a report in the New York Times that interviewed several NASA scientists about the work already underway.

To achieve its goal of building houses on the moon, NASA plans to utilize a 3-D printer that will create structures using lunar concrete, derived from the moon's surface material. While some in the scientific community find NASA's timeline ambitious, the agency remains committed to its benchmarks and partnerships with universities and private companies to make lunar habitation a reality.

In 2020, the US Air Force awarded contract to a Texas-based startup called ICON, for 3D printing of livable and workable structures. Prior to this, in last year, NASA, under its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, awarded contract worth $57.2 million to ICON, a space construction technology startup with specialisation in large-scale 3D printing. 

With this, NASA is supporting ICON in developing construction technology that could be used on the Moon and Mars for last 2 years.

The nearly $60 million contract builds upon previous NASA and the United States' Department of Defense funding for ICON’s Project Olympus to research and develop space-based construction systems to support planned exploration of the Moon and beyond.

ICON’s Olympus system is intended to be a multi-purpose construction system primarily using local Lunar and Martian resources as building materials to further the efforts of NASA as well as commercial organizations to establish a sustained lunar presence.

Moreover, ICON has even 3D printed a 1,700-square-foot simulated Martian habitat, called Mars Dune Alpha, that will be used during NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Analog, or CHAPEA, analog mission started this year only. 

Besides the houses, NASA is also working with universities and private companies on other household items, ranging from doors to tiles to furniture, that can sustain on lunar surface and the atmosphere. 

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