Basalt Fiber Composite Design Wins NASA 3D Printed Award

Recently, AI SpaceFactory (New York, N.Y., USA) design agency won first prize in the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge (competition to create living space on Mars using 3D printing technology). In the final phase of the competition, a 15-foot (4.5-metre) long prototype printed via 3D printing was made from a biodegradable and recyclable biopolymer basalt fiber composite derived from natural materials also found on Mars's surface. The material successfully passed NASA's pressure, smoke and impact tests and was found to be stronger and more durable compared to concrete used by the other 60 competing teams in the competition. The living space was printed in 30 hours in a large automated process, and the three windows in the structure were also placed robotically. AI SpaceFactory won a prize worth USD 500,000 from NASA for this competition.