Kriti Patel
TLDR:
- NASA has awarded ICON a contract to develop lunar construction technologies for Moon missions.
- ICON will work on developing the Olympus construction system for building infrastructure on the Moon and Mars.
In a recent collaboration, NASA has selected ICON for the development of construction technologies essential for the advancement of long-term human exploration on the Moon under the Artemis mission. The focus is on creating innovative construction capabilities for building landing pads, habitats, and roads on the lunar surface. ICON’s past work in 3D printing structures like the Mars Dune Alpha habitat and participation in NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge have laid the groundwork for this new venture.
The contract with NASA will support the development of the Olympus construction system, aimed at utilizing local resources on the Moon and Mars as building materials. This endeavor falls under NASA’s Moon to Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technologies (MMPACT) project, a collaborative effort involving industry, government, and academic institutions. The $57.2 million contract is set to run through 2028.
Through the Game Changing Development program in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, ICON and NASA will work together to push the boundaries of construction technology for extraterrestrial missions. This partnership signifies a significant step forward in preparing for the challenges of living and working on other worlds.
