During the Humans to Mars Summit space conference held last week, several companies presented how they could build infrastructure on the moon and other celestial bodies using 3D printing technology.
Icon, the company known for its 3D-printed houses here on Earth, showcased something called Project Olympus. It involves the construction of both roads and housing on the moon using large 3D printers adapted for use in space.
You can watch a video clip above to see what it could look like. Another company, XArc (Exploration Architecture Corporation), and their subsidiary Spaceport, presented their vision of how landing sites and space bases could be built on the moon using something called Lunatron, a machine that would use lunar regolith to create materials resembling bricks.
Below is a video clip where they provide more details about this concept. It will likely take some time before we begin building infrastructure for human colonies on the moon, and later possibly Mars. However, when that time comes, it is not impossible that we will use technology similar to what is shown in these video clips.
