Additive manufacturing using space resources

Additive manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, is a family of novel and advanced manufacturing techniques that operate in a layer-by-layer additive manner and, by using a vast material palette, can deliver parts in an autonomous fashion directly from computer data without the need for additional tooling and with part complexities beyond most conventional manufacturing techniques. Serving under the in situ resource utilization concept, AM is envisioned as a highly promising solution for producing a range of physical assets off-world, by using as feedstock the abundant natural resources that are readily available onsite, from building life-sustaining habitats on the Moon or Mars, to fabricating various replacements parts, aiming to support human (or robotic) space exploration. This chapter discusses AM within a future planetary manufacturing scenario. It reviews those identified and prospective material space resources with a focus on lunar regolith, their simulants, and envisaged processing methods. Finally, a laser-based AM approach for fabricating parts using lunar regolith is presented and further discussed, as it shows great promise and showcases the potential of the technology.