Selective Laser Melting for processing of regolith in support of a lunar base

Future space exploration will focus on destinations beyond the Earth’s orbit, which necessitates newtechnologies such as In-Space Resource Utilization. This paper presents a technological approachfor the processing of lunar regolith via an adapted laser based Additive Layer Manufacturingmethod, which needs no binding additives or other supply from Earth. In support of large scaledstructure construction on the lunar surface, the proposed Selective Laser Melting technology has thepotential to drastically lower the transportation needs of such a mission while enabling highflexibility.

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