China Will Use 3D Printing Technology To Build Buildings On The Moon

JAKARTA - China Daily reported on Monday 24 April that China will explore the use of 3D printing technology to build buildings on the moon, as Beijing strengthens plans for long-term lunar housing.

On China's 2020 lunar mission, Chang'e 5, which is named according to Chinese mythology goddess about the moon, a drone carries samples of China's first lunar soil returning to Earth. China, which made its first moon landing in 2013, plans to land an astronaut on the moon by 2030.

Between now and then, China will launch the Chang'e 6, 7, and 8, missions last in charge of reusable resources on the moon for long-term human shelters.

The Chang'e 8 project will conduct an investigation at surrounding locations for the environment and composition of minerals, as well as determine whether technology such as 3D printing can be used on the lunar surface, China Daily reported, citing Wu Weiren, a scientist at China's National Space Administration.

"If we want to stay on the moon for a long time, we need to set up a station using the material on the moon," said Wu, who was also quoted by Reuters.

China wants to start building a lunar base by using the moon in the next five years, Chinese media reported earlier this month.

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

Competition for set foot on the moon has increased in recent years, especially with the United States.

This month, NASA and the Canadian space agency appointed four astronauts for the planned Artemis II mission by the end of 2024, which will be the first human flights around the moon in decades.