In Beijing, a unique machine was unveiled that manufactures bricks from lunar soil. It runs on solar energy and heats the regolith to temperatures that allow it to be melted and turned into a building material. The resulting mixture is used for 3D printing bricks of various shapes and sizes, opening prospects for constructing structures directly on the Moon—without needing to deliver construction materials from Earth.
At the same time, scientists from the Indian Institute of Science developed a method to “repair” such bricks using the bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii. It restores cracks by forming calcium carbonate. The approach takes into account the conditions of the future NASA Artemis IV mission and will be tested under microgravity.
Alongside the development of lunar glass to protect solar panels, these technologies bring the first Moon base closer. In the coming years, lunar missions are expected to begin, laying the groundwork for future lunar infrastructure.
