The proof-of-concept project will demonstrate how lunar soil – after releasing its oxygen for rocket propulsion and potentially air for astronauts – can also be converted into metal-rich compounds which can conduct electricity. This compound could be transformed into inks for printing electronic circuits or powder for 3D printing of larger components.
Danish Technological Institute will work with UK-based Metalysis, which is supplying simulated and de-oxygenated lunar soil for the experiments.
“The primary innovation of the project is converting the conductive part of lunar soil, also called regolith, into a digitally printable material. This opens completely new opportunities for off-earth manufacturing of electronics for future space missions,” Christian Dalsgaard, senior consultant at Danish Technological Institute, said in a statement.
Since 2019 Metalysis has been working with the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency on a range of initiatives focusing on oxygen extraction from lunar regolith.
“Our process was originally designed as an alternative method for titanium production. The technology is applicable to nearly 50 elements in the periodic table, and it is feedstock agnostic – so it can process lunar regolith. Our immediate focus terrestrially is upon high charge tantalum powders and aluminium scandium alloys for the electronics sector,” said Dr Ian Mellor, MD and chief scientist at Metalysis.
The project addresses key issues in modern space exploration, namely the high cost and logistical complexity of transporting materials from Earth.
“Every time you want to send a kilo into space, you need 15 kilos of fuel to move it. So, there is an enormous advantage in being able to utilise local materials available on the Moon, for example to repair critical parts,” said Dalsgaard.
To prove that the concept works, Danish Technological Institute and Metalysis will produce conductive raw material from de-oxygenated simulated regolith and demonstrate its use for printed electronics in a way that can be replicated on the Moon.
“In this way, we produce conductive inks and powder and test that it can be used to additively manufacture a piece of conductive wire. By doing this, we demonstrate that the conductive powder can [for example] be used to manufacture antennas directly on the Moon,” said Andreas Weje Larsen, a 3D printing specialist at Danish Technological Institute.