Project Olympus
A robotic construction system ICON is developing with NASA to build landing pads, roads, blast shields and eventually habitats on the Moon using lunar soil instead of materials shipped from Earth.
Why it matters
Every kilogram sent to the Moon is expensive. A long-term base needs landing pads, blast shields, roads and shelters that protect against heat, radiation and micrometeorites, and building them from local soil avoids shipping those materials from Earth.
How the technology works
ICON is adapting its Earth construction technology to use lunar regolith as the main building material. Under a 2022 NASA SBIR Phase III contract worth $57.2M, the team is studying how Apollo-era lunar samples and simulants behave in simulated lunar gravity, and plans to fly its hardware on a flight that simulates lunar gravity.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has been a partner since 2020.