LEGO 3D Prints Bricks from Regolith to Promote Space Exploration

What might life on the moon look like? How can lunar resources be utilized to build local infrastructure? How will astronauts—and possibly future lunar inhabitants—live? These are crucial questions being explored by ESA and NASA. As part of the Artemis program, astronauts are visiting the moon to investigate these issues and develop potential solutions. A new, playful approach may offer additional insights. Scientists have created 3D-printed LEGO bricks from moon dust to construct habitats, launch pads, and protective structures. This initiative aims to achieve scientific objectives while also sparking children’s interest in space exploration.

The primary material found on the moon is regolith, often referred to as “moon dust.” While there is an abundance of this material on the moon, it is scarce on Earth. A small sample was collected during the Apollo mission for study, but it is insufficient for producing full-scale structures. To address this limitation, scientists sought an alternative material to test the feasibility of constructing building blocks from lunar resources. They utilized a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite, reducing it to dust, which was then mixed with polylactide and a regolith simulant. This mixture became the basis for the lunar LEGO bricks.

The ESA LEGO bricks were printed from a material similar to Rigolith.