Beijing: China wants to build a permanent base on the moon in the future, and as part of that effort, they intend to test 3D printing lunar soil into bricks using a robotic "mason."

The nation intends to send the Chang'e 8 mission to the moon sometime in 2028, and this expedition will probably make use of lunar surface resources.

An extensive amount of planning and research would be needed to establish a permanent settlement on the Moon. There would be a lot of construction required, and it might not be possible to ship all the materials from Earth given the costs.

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By enabling astronauts to produce objects on demand, 3D printing could reduce costs and potentially revolutionise space exploration.

Scientists discussed the possibility of 3D printing bricks on the Moon using materials already present on the lunar surface at a recent conference held in Wuhan.

According to Ding Lieyun of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, a prototype "super mason" with six legs could assist in putting together the printed bricks, which are akin to Lego pieces, on the lunar surface.

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In the end, Lieyun told China Science Daily at the conference, "creating habitation beyond the Earth is essential not only for all humanity's pursuit of space exploration but also for China's strategic needs as a space power."

If China's plan is successful, the methods might be used to build the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which the nation hopes to do in the 2030s. In 2021, China and Russia collaborated on this project.

A lunar orbiting space station, a lunar base, and moveable robots and rovers are all part of the ILRS project.

Chinese officials are currently getting ready for their upcoming lunar missions, including Chang'e 6. The mission, which is slated to launch in 2025, will collect the first samples from the far side of the Moon.

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Among its other science goals, the multi-spacecraft mission Chang'e 7 that will launch in 2026 will search for water ice in the Moon's shadowed craters.