Advances in in-situ resources utilization for extraterrestrial construction

To establish foundational support for forthcoming deep space exploration and settlement endeavors, the significance of extraterrestrial construction has become paramount. Recent developments underscore a growing acknowledgment of the imperative role played by in situ resource utilization, attributed to its potential for cost efficiency and facilitation of sustainable progress. This paper compiles and categorizes the advancements in this domain, focusing on three distinctive categories of in situ resources: regolith, water-ice, and energy resources. A review of their distribution, acquisition, and utilization procedures is presented. Subsequently, an intricate examination ensues, elucidating the applicability of each resource within the context of extraterrestrial construction, in conjunction with five prevalent technologies and the latest architectural constructs. Drawing insights from the research, the existing limitations are identified, particularly pertaining to the comprehensive, deep processing, and sustainable utilization of resources. Consequently, a proposition is put forth to address these challenges. Prospective investigations are recommended, focusing on the mining of water-ice, the metallurgy and production of regolith and slag, and the integrated construction in the pursuit of extraterrestrial construction and operational endeavors. (c) 2024 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.