In a space-driven collaboration with NASA, ICON & AI SpaceFactory are among 17 lunar technology companies that have been selected to co-develop systems to build habitats on other planets. With NASA’s Artemis Mission slated to return humans to the Moon by 2030, including the first woman & person of color, plans are underway to harness their expertise to develop a lunar base camp, where the astronauts are expected to live & work for one month. Carefully sourced materials & a special 3D printed design, will provide protection from radiation & the extreme lunar environment at the Moon’s South Pole, also known as the “Peak of Eternal Light.” Solar radiation is constant here, making it ideal for solar power generation. Ice in the shade of a nearby crater may also support water harvesting operations. Autonomous robots will gather native loose lunar rock, to be mixed with earth-sourced polymer, to build LINA (Lunar Infrastructure Asset), SpaceFactory’s specially designed Moon base. A 3D printing robotic arm, developed by ICON, will be sent to the Moon to do construction work 24x7, while being controlled from Earth. The bunker will house astronauts, robots, telecommunication devices & an astromobile. The shelter has a life expectancy of 50 years, thus allowing for long-term missions to establish a lunar economy, while serving as a stepping stone to explore Mars in the 2030s.
