--- title: "NASA Invests in 3D Printing Space Habitat Technology" description: "US-based construction technologies startup ICON signed a contract with the Air Force to develop a 3D-printing-based construction system called \"Project Olympus\" for the Moon." date: "2020-10-05" modified: "2020-10-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-3d-printing-space-habitat" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "3d printing" - "moon" - "NASA" - "Space Habitat" - "space habitats" - "the digest" --- # NASA Invests in 3D Printing Space Habitat Technology ![]() *\Image: ICON\* ## Project Olympus US-based construction technologies startup ICON has [signed a $14 million contract]() with the U.S. Air Force — including $1.8 million from NASA, which will go toward developing a 3D-printing-based construction system called "Project Olympus" for the Moon. The funding was included as part of a contract to research technologies that could create a base capable of supporting future trips to the Moon. "Building humanity’s first home on another world will be the most ambitious construction project in human history and will push science, engineering, technology, and architecture to literal new heights," ICON co-founder Jason Ballard said in [a statement](). https://youtu.be/yu0aYuF-y9E ## 3D Printed Habitat To establish a permanent foothold on the Moon, future explorers will need protection from harsh conditions including extreme temperatures, radiation, and micrometeorite showers. ICON is investigating 3D printing technologies to allow the construction of such a shelter. The company is building on existing experience with the Earthly versions of the same tech. In 2018, ICON became the first company to deliver the [first, permitted 3D-printed home]() in the US. ICON also participated in [NASA's 3D Printed Habitat Challenge](). ![]() ## Big Names ICON also says it's partnering with some of the biggest names in architecture in the world. "With ICON we are pioneering new frontiers – both materially, technologically and environmentally," Bjarke Ingels, world renowned architect and founder and creative director of the BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, said in the statement. "The answers to our challenges on Earth very well might be found on the Moon." *Editor's note 10/8/2020: This story originally misstated the size of NASA's investment. It has been updated.* **READ MORE:** [Texas company aims to 3D-print buildings on the moon with 'Project Olympus']() \[*Space.com*\] **More on ICON:** *[These Adorable 3D-Printed Houses Could Solve Homelessness]()* ## 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]()