China’s ambitious lunar exploration and long-term colonisation ambitions span the next ten years. 3D printing, which might be used to build structures and stations using the soil from the moon, is one of the important technologies that China intends to test on the lunar surface.
The Chang’e 8 probe will be launched by China in 2028, according to the China Daily, and will investigate the moon’s climate and mineral composition firsthand while also testing the viability of 3D printing there. China National Space Administration scientist Wu Weiren stated that “if we wish to stay on the moon for a long time, we need to set up stations by using the moon’s own materials.
Layers of material are deposited on top of one another during the 3D printing process to produce solid objects from digital models. It has numerous uses in a wide range of industries, including engineering, building, art, and medicine. The use of 3D printing for lunar building could have a number of benefits, including lower transportation costs and risks, greater design flexibility and customization, and quicker and simpler assembly of structures.
Other nations outside China are also interested in 3D printing on the moon. Six businesses received contracts from NASA in 2019 to use 3D printing and other technologies to create prototypes of human homes for lunar missions. The European Space Agency (ESA) is also working on a project called Moon Village that aims to use robotic construction methods and 3D printing to establish a permanent habitation on the moon.
In recent years, China’s lunar exploration program has made considerable strides. With the Chang’e 3 mission, it became the third nation to successfully land a rover on the moon in 2013. With the Chang’e 4 mission, it accomplished the first landing on the far side of the moon in 2019. With the Chang’e 5 mission in 2020, it returned lunar soil samples for the first time. By 2030, China hopes to become the second nation after the United States to send an astronaut to the moon.
China’s lunar missions are a part of its larger space aspirations, which also include building reusable rockets, creating a space station, and sending rovers to Mars and asteroids. Some nations are concerned about China’s space efforts, particularly the United States, which sees China as a strategic adversary and a possible challenge to American supremacy in space. The US has limited China’s participation in space exploration and sanctioned some Chinese space organizations.
However, some experts contend that cooperation, as opposed to rivalry, could advance scientific understanding and open up new horizons for both nations and mankind as a whole. For instance, China has asked international partners to join its effort to build a lunar research station, which may encourage cooperation and idea sharing across various space organisations and scientists. Additionally, via communication and collaboration among all stakeholders, several common issues and opportunities in space exploration, like guaranteeing sustainability, safety, and ethics, could be effectively handled.
A fascinating and ground-breaking step towards achieving China’s goal of long-term lunar colonization is the country’s ambition to test 3D printing technology on the moon. Additionally, it demonstrates China’s expanding capacity and aspirations for space exploration. Uncertainty exists regarding whether China’s lunar efforts will increase competition or cooperation with other nations, but one thing is certain: there will be an increase in human activity and inventiveness on the moon soon.
