MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/: Russia’s moon base project envisages the use of 3D printing technologies and lunar soil, a spokesperson for Russia’s space corporation Roscosmos told TASS on Sunday.
According to the source, the third stage of Russia’s moon program, which will follow short-term missions to the Earth’s natural satellite, will see "the launch of construction of large-scale structures with the use of additive technologies and local resources."
This stage also envisages "furnishing scientific and industrial objects with equipment," creating production capacities and life sustenance infrastructure.
After the third stage, Roscosmos plans to create all conditions for long-term lunar missions.
In late 2018, the Space Council within the Russian Academy of Sciences adopted a concept of the domestic lunar program but issued instructions to supplement it. Roscosmos said at the time that this program would be implemented in several stages by 2040. Roscosmos Chief Dmitry Rogozin said during a lecture at Moscow State University that Russian cosmonauts would for the first time land on the Moon in 2030.
Earlier, Russian spacecraft maker Lavochkin Research and Production Association suggested that lunar construction should be carried out with the help of a solar-powered 3D printer that uses moon dust, or regolith, as fodder.
