Mahsa Esfandabadi - Lunar Lantern

Credits: SEArch+

Project : Lunar Lanter (Olympus)

Client: ICON and NASA

Employer: SEArch+

My Position: Aerospace Architecture Researcher & Designer

ICON, a developer of advanced construction technologies including robotics, software, and building materials, partnered with SEArch+ to work with NASA on the development of a space-based construction system to support future exploration of the Moon. SEArch+’s design for ICON’s Project Olympus is a sustainable outpost consisting of habitats, sheds, landing pads, blast walls, and roadways. “The Lunar Lantern” aims to exceed the factors of safety for its inhabitants in support of mankind's first extended mission on the Moon’s surface. (Check The Lunar Lantern Project on SEArch+ Website)

Credits: SEArch+

In Project Olympus, ICON and SEArch+ have developed design schematics for the critical surface infrastructure necessary for a permanent lunar base. In 2020 ICON was awarded an SBIR contribution from Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to contribute to NASA Marshall's Moon-to-Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technologies (MMPACT) initiative. ICON will first demonstrate additive manufacturing capabilities for horizontal structures such as roads and landing pads, followed by demonstrations of vertical structures, including unpressurized radiation shelters as well as habitats. In 2020, ICON employed SEArch+ to develop design schematics for mission-critical surface construction elements for a lunar settlement, including concepts for surface-site deployment, construction sequencing, and structural design. The design process was informed by discussions with key ICON engineers and NASA collaborators. The exchange not only ensured the constructibility of designs according to hardware and material processing limitations but also enabled the architectural process to influence and shape hardware requirements as they were being defined. The ensuing habitat design, titled the "Lunar Lantern" for its double-protective outer shield structure, celebrates and promotes a design approach driven by human factors principles to ensure the safety and security of future crew. As a whole, Project Olympus envisions the construction of durable, self-maintaining, and resilient surface structures enabled by advanced 3D-printing technologies. (Continue Reading The Publication)

Credits: SEArch+

News

NASA wants to build a lunar base by 2030. Could 3D printing with moon dust be the answer? NASA aims to have astronauts on the moon in 2024 and anticipates a permanent lunar base by the end of the decade. It's a massive challenge, but Texas-based startup ICON says it has a solution -- 3D printing a lunar base from moon dust.

NASA, BIG, SEArch+, and ICON team up to develop a lunar cityNASA has tapped all three firms to work on the research and development of Project Olympus, a speculative permanent lunar colony.

The Lunar Lantern Could be a Beacon for Humanity on the MoonThe Lunar Lantern, an intriguing concept for establishing a human presence on the Moon, is currently being featured at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition.

SpaceX Starship at NASA Artemis Base Camp by ICONNASA is working with construction startup ICON to develop 3D printed construction system for the Moon and Mars. Here is concept art from the project.