Regolight - solar sintering - 3D-printing lunar bases using only the sun and the lunar dust

The aim of project RegoLight is to further develop existing 3D printing technologies and methodologies for the purpose of ‘sintering’ and ‘shaping’ lunar regolith (loose layer of dust, soil and broken rocks on the Moon surface) using the sun as an infinite source of energy; for the purpose of fabricating buildings elements for use in future lunar missions.
regolight.eu/
The RegoLight team comprised of architects, engineers, systems designers, and scientists seeks to approach the problem of solar sintering on the lunar surface, simultaneously from both sides of the spectrum; addressing on one end the ‘big picture’ based on mission scenario design and applications seen from the larger perspective of mission plans and exploration strategies; and on the other end, the ‘bottom up’ approach which builds small-scale ‘detailed’ building components with respect to the physical properties of the granular regolith dust and the additive manufacturing methodology.
Project team: DLR-Cologne (project coordination), Space Applications Services, Comex, LIQUIFER Systems Group, Bollinger Grohmann Engineers
animation credit: LIQUIFER Systems Group, 2018