---
title: "Scientists Are 3D Printing Fake Moon Dust Into Useful Objects"
description: "European Space Agency scientists are exploring ways to 3D print objects using artificial lunar soil. And the possibilities could be endless."
date: "2018-11-24"
modified: "2018-11-24"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/scientists-europe-3d-printing-fake-moon-dust-regolith-objects"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Moon"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "3d printing"
  - "ESA"
  - "lunar base"
---

# Scientists Are 3D Printing Fake Moon Dust Into Useful Objects

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/scientists-europe-3d-printing-fake-moon-dust-regolith-into-tools.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: ESA–G. Porter\</em\>*

## 3D Printing on the Moon

Replacing parts on a lunar base could pose a major challenge, since resupplying missions will likely be massively expensive and time consuming.

That's why a group of scientists led by the European Space Agency are [exploring ways](<https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2018/11/3D-printed_ceramic_parts_made_from_lunar_regolith>) to 3D print anything from screws to coins using artificial lunar regolith — a simulation, essentially, of moon dust.

## Easy Space Oven

The scientists partnered with Austrian company Lithoz to develop a 3D printing technology that first mixes the regolith with a special kind of glue that hardens when exposed to light. Then they 3D print it into a particular shape and bake it inside an oven — similarly to how ceramics are hardened inside a kiln.

“If one needs to print tools or machinery parts to replace broken parts on a lunar base, precision in the dimensions and shape of the printed items will be vital," says Advenit Makya, an ESA engineer working on the project in an [ESA blog post](<https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2018/11/3D-printed_ceramic_parts_made_from_lunar_regolith>).

## Fix-it-Yourself

It's a work in progress, and the project has yet to find out if the 3D printed parts will actually be able to hold up to the stresses of lunar base life, according to [*Live Science*](<https://www.livescience.com/64103-moon-dust-3d-printing.html>).

But if we *do* find a way to 3D print objects using locally sourced materials, the possibilities are endless. The tech could make living on the Moon a whole lot easier — and maybe a tiny bit less reliant on the Earth.

**READ MORE:** [European Researchers Baked Fake Moon Dust into Money and Screws](<https://www.livescience.com/64103-moon-dust-3d-printing.html>) \[Live Science\]

**More on 3D printing on the moon:** [Here Are The Finalists For NASA’s Mars Habitat Design Competition](<https://futurism.com/nasa-mars-habitat-design-competition>)

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)