China tests 3D printing technology to build homes on the Moon

In 2020, China's lunar mission, Chang'e 5, an unmanned probe, brought back the country's first lunar soil samples to Earth. China, which first landed on the moon in 2013, plans to send an astronaut to the moon by 2030.

The Jade Rabbit 2 rover of the Chang'e-4 probe. Photo: Xinhua

From now on, China will launch Chang'e 6, 7 and 8 missions, with the second task being to search for reusable resources on the Moon for long-term human habitation.

The Chang'e-8 probe will conduct on-site investigations into the environment and mineral composition, and determine whether technologies such as 3D printing can be deployed on the lunar surface, China Daily reported, citing scientist Wu Weiren of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

“If we want to stay on the Moon for a long time, we need to build stations using materials from the Moon itself,” Wu said.

China has previously planned to build a base using soil from the Moon within five years, Chinese media reported earlier this month.

A robot tasked with making "lunar soil bricks" will be launched on the Chang'e 8 mission around 2028, according to an expert from the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The race to land on the moon has intensified in recent years. This month, NASA and the Canadian space agency named four astronauts for the Artemis II lunar mission, scheduled for late 2024.

Hoang Anh (according to China Daily, Reuters, CNA)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/trung-quoc-thu-nghiem-cong-nghe-in-3d-de-xay-dung-nha-tren-mat-trang-post245047.html