NASA: Texas' ICON Receives Contract for 3D-Printed Structures in the Moon—What to Build?

NASA gave a new contract to ICON, an Austin, Texas-based company that is famous for using 3D printing for its structures, now centering on the company's tech for its application on the Moon.

The new contract centers on lunar structures that would be placed on the Moon for future missions, centering on different focuses like the space rock's industrialization.

The new contract aims to build a space station on the Moon and details the said structures including new habitats and landing pads, among many others.

NASA, ICON to Make Structures for the Moon in New Contract

NASA's recent press release centers on a newly-awarded contract to the Texas-based 3D printing company, ICON, to fulfill future Moon needs for astronauts who would spend their time on the lunar surface. The company is given the task to help industrialize the Moon, with its focus on building lunar structures for future missions.

The goal of ICON's new contract is to help create structures for astronauts to use including habitats, landing pads, roads, and other infrastructures for the natural satellite.

The space agency said that this contract is a continuation of the previous deal with ICON, centering on its previous deal with NASA to develop structures, under the Moon to Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technologies (MMPACT) project.

ICON's 3D Printing Technology: To The Moon

ICON's main branding is its 3D printing technology which enables them to make homes out of their machines, one which caught NASA's attention for its application on the Earth's satellite.

Also, this continues ICON's dual-use contract with the US Air Force, under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III, with new plans to take its technology to the Moon.

NASA's Plans for the Artemis Mission

The Artemis Mission is more than what people think it is, as it will center on the humans' return to the lunar surface, along with a series of flights towards it for research, studies, and more.

And while it centers on the future Moon comeback, as well as bringing the first woman to the lunar surface, it is a gateway for future missions of the agency to its natural satellite.

NASA's latest mission was launching the SLS and Orion rockets to the Moon, its initial run centers on testing its capabilities for future crewed missions towards it.

More preparations are in place for the NASA Artemis mission, with the company already appointing SpaceX to land humans on the lunar surface from the Orion spacecraft which would lock on the lunar orbit.

However, despite SpaceX's readiness for the job, it will only be used to land the second batch of astronauts making their way to the lunar surface.

Humankind has done a lot of landing and planting of flags on the lunar surface before, and the next plan of the company is to establish a station there, one where astronauts could enact certain earthly pleasures on the Moon.

ICON will help in establishing the station with its 3D printing technology, one that could be more cost effective and faster to manufacture.