Laser 3D printing turns moon dirt into durable parts
Mar 2nd 2026
A lab study shows laser 3D printing of lunar regolith simulant can make heat resistant, durable parts, but final strength and stability depend heavily on the substrate and environmental settings, a result that matters for in situ construction on future lunar missions.
- Researchers melted lunar regolith simulant LHS-1 using a laser 3D printing method to produce small heat resistant, durable objects.
- Printed material adhered well to alumina silicate ceramic but was difficult to print on stainless steel and glass.
- Environmental factors including available oxygen, laser power and print speed strongly changed mechanical strength and thermal shock resistance.
- Authors say combining feedstocks like metal and ceramics creates materials that are highly sensitive to printing conditions.
- The study, published in Acta Astronautica, was led by Sizhe Xu and Sarah Wolff at The Ohio State University.
- Findings support in situ resource utilization for habitats and tools on future lunar missions but show more testing is needed in spacelike conditions.
- Researchers suggest future printers could be scaled with solar or hybrid power to fit resource limits on the moon.