ISRO Chandrayaan 4 Mission Demonstrate 3D Printer on Moon for Ambitious Space Station and Moon Base Plans

Space News ,India :- In the wake of Chandrayaan 3's remarkable success, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while assessing the strides in India's Gaganyaan program, has urged ISRO to expand its horizons. The directive is to aim for assembling a dedicated space station and conducting human missions to the lunar surface. ISRO's strategic roadmap involves accelerating planned programs and, notably, Chandrayaan 4 may pioneer 3D printing on the Moon, a key step towards achieving ambitious milestones.

Fresh insights into the future of the Chandrayaan lunar program were unveiled during a presentation by ISRO Chairman S Somanath at the Indian Society of Geomatics (ISG) and the Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS) National Symposium 2023. The revelation indicates that Chandrayaan 4, the sequel to Chandrayaan 3, is slated to showcase additive manufacturing capabilities, specifically 3D printing on the lunar surface. This mission aligns with ISRO's grand plan to establish a space station by 2035, land an indigenous human on the Moon by 2040, and inaugurate a Moon base by 2047, marking India's 100th independence anniversary.

The demonstration of 3D printing on the Moon serves a crucial purpose in ISRO's strategy, focusing on In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) in the United States and Local Resource Utilization (LRU) in China. Harnessing locally sourced lunar Regolith as ink enables the production of tools, spare parts, bricks, and even entire habitats, crucial for sustained human presence on the Moon.

However, the lunar 3D printing endeavor poses unique challenges, requiring reengineering to adapt to the Moon's low gravity, extreme temperature variations, and the lunar atmosphere bombarded by unfiltered high-energy particles from the Sun. Lunar Regolith, composed of fine, coarse particles that easily infiltrate cracks, adds another layer of complexity, posing potential hazards to personnel and equipment.

Notably, both the United States and China are incorporating 3D printing in their lunar base plans, with initiatives such as Artemis Basecamp and the International Lunar Research Station. Research institutions globally are actively working on simulating lunar regolith to refine the entire process, from extraction to processing and on-site 3D printing. China's Chang'e 8 mission, scheduled for 2028, aims to survey locally available materials and demonstrate lunar 3D printing. The Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX), a collaboration with Japan's JAXA, is slated for launch in 2025, coinciding with the Chandrayaan 4 mission in 2028.