Chinese scientists present advanced technologies for construction of lunar research station

China plans to carry out its first crewed lunar landing by 2030 and complete the construction of a basic model of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in the area of the Moon’s south pole by 2035, according to documents from the China National Space Administration (CNSA). This was reported by Global Times, a partner of TV BRICS.

Key areas in the creation of the lunar research station include in-situ resource utilisation, clustered intelligent manufacturing, and fully autonomous operations. This was stated at a symposium at the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory by Chen Jie, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Scientists discussed the technologies required for building the base.

For example, a prototype system for on-site 3D printing using lunar soil has already been developed. It operates by using concentrated solar energy to melt lunar regolith, from which bricks are formed. In combination with this technology, regolith components of any desired shape can be created.

Using authentic samples of lunar soil, scientists under laboratory conditions produced ultra-thin continuous regolith fibres with a diameter of just 10–20 microns. To achieve this, they created automated equipment capable of operating in the vacuum and low-gravity conditions of the Moon, which in the future could make it possible to produce composite materials directly on the lunar surface.

In addition, the construction of a base cannot be carried out by a single device; it requires the coordinated work of heterogeneous groups of robots. These include reconnaissance robots conducting mapping, transport robots moving lunar regolith, large 3D-printing robots laying the main structural elements, and robots performing high-precision assembly tasks.

According to China’s plans, the ILRS will be a scientific and experimental complex consisting of sections on the lunar surface and in lunar orbit. An expanded model is expected to be built in the 2040s. As of April 2025, 17 countries and international organisations, as well as more than 50 international research institutes, have joined the project.

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