An illustration of future research base on moon floor Photo: courtesy of DSEL
The key to constructing the longer term lunar research station lies in three pillars: in-situ lunar useful resource acquisition, cluster-enabled collaborative clever manufacturing and totally autonomous clever operations, stated Chen Jie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Party secretary of Harbin Institute of Technology, at a symposium held at Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL) on Monday.
China will perform the primary manned touchdown on the moon earlier than 2030 and full the construction of the fundamental mannequin for the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), in accordance with the grasp plan of the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The moon has change into a brand new frontier for international technological competitors and cooperation. Against this backdrop, a number of academicians and experts shared their insights into know-how wanted for constructing a base on the ILRS on the symposium.
The DSEL, which was co-founded by the CNSA and Anhui provincial authorities, has developed a prototype of an in-situ lunar soil 3D printing system. Dubbed the “lunar soil brick-maker,” the in-situ lunar soil 3D printing system works by utilizing concentrated photo voltaic power to soften lunar soil at excessive temperatures and type bricks.
According to the lab, mixed with 3D printing know-how, the system can print lunar regolith into structurally stable bricks or elements of any desired form. Whether printing it into bricks or drawing it into fibers, the objective is to remodel the moon’s most ample floor materials — lunar regolith — into usable engineering supplies,” said Shi Pingyan, chief engineer of the DSEL.
Drawing on authentic lunar soil samples collected by the Chang’e-5 probe, a research team from Shanghai-based Donghua University has successfully fabricated ultra-fine continuous lunar regolith fibers – with diameters of only 10 to 20 microns – in a laboratory setting, using high-temperature melting and vacuum drawing techniques.
Zhu Meifang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor at Donghua University, said that the team has successfully developed automated fiber-forming equipment adapted to moon’s high-vacuum and low-gravity environment, opening new possibilities for future in-situ manufacturing of composite materials on the lunar surface.
Exploring multiple technical routes in parallel is aimed at addressing the harsh challenges of the moon’s extreme environment and finding the optimal solution. The lunar surface presents a complex environment characterized by extreme temperature differences, high vacuum, strong radiation and charged lunar dust. Any manufacturing equipment must first solve the challenge of long-term reliable operation, according to the DSEL.
Moreover, the construction of a future lunar base cannot be accomplished by a single device; it requires collaborative operations among heterogeneous robot clusters, the laboratory added.
Chen outlined a vision of a future lunar construction site: survey robots conducting topographic mapping; transport robots hauling lunar regolith; large-scale 3D printing robots stacking primary structural components; and dexterous assembly robots executing high-precision assembly tasks.
Chen outlined a vision of a future lunar construction site: Survey robots conducting mapping; transport robots moving lunar regolith; large 3D printing robots stacking primary structural components; and dexterous assembly robots performing high-precision assembly tasks. “A key to realizing this imaginative and prescient is to endow lunar unmanned gear clusters with ‘swarm intelligence,'” Chen stated.
According to Chen, this requires overcoming a sequence of core technological challenges, together with dependable long-distance communication on the lunar floor, high-precision collaborative positioning, clever planning for heterogeneous unmanned clusters, and autonomous management, enabling completely different unmanned gadgets to function collaboratively as an natural complete — autonomously, intelligently and effectively.
China initiated the ILRS, a scientific experimental facility consisting of sections on the lunar floor and in lunar orbit. It is projected to be in-built two phases: a fundamental mannequin to be constructed by 2035 within the lunar south pole area, and an prolonged mannequin to be constructed within the 2040s, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
As of April 2025, a complete of 17 international locations and worldwide organizations, together with greater than 50 worldwide research establishments, have joined the ILRS, Xinhua reported.