ICON has received an advance from NASA to 3D print homes…

The world's leading space powers are actively preparing to explore the Moon - moreover, in the coming years. One of the proofs of this is a generous $57.2 million “advance” from NASA to ICON for the construction of lunar dwellings using 3D printing as part of the Olympus project.

According to the American online publication Axios, if the landing of NASA astronauts on the moon during the Artemis mission is carried out as scheduled, then the houses for its participants should be ready by 2026.

According to ICON director Jason Ballard, the houses for the lunar colonists will be strong and light. They will be made from "local" materials - lunar dust, fragments of stones and soil, since transporting building materials from Earth will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, which are unbearable for the budget of any country.

ICON Building Group is a well-known company that specializes in the construction of individual houses using 3D printing technologies. The company intends to use the advance received from NASA to study the lunar soil in gravitational conditions using samples delivered by the astronauts of the Apollo missions.