Regolith sintering and 3D printing for lunar construction: an extensive review on recent progress

In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) is increasingly being seen as a viable and essential approach to constructing infrastructure for human habitation on the moon. Transporting materials and resources, from Earth to the Moon, is prohibitively expensive and not sustainable for long-term, large-scale development. Various fabrication technologies have been investigated in recent years, designed for extra-terrestrial exploration and settlement. This review presents a comprehensive study on the development of several sintering techniques of lunar regolith simulant to demonstrate its feasibility for ISRU on the moon. Various critical processing parameters are evaluated in pursuit of creating a structural material that can withstand the extreme lunar environment. Key outcomes are summarised and assessed to provide insight into their viability. Finally, current challenges are addressed and potential improvements, and avenues for further research, suggested.