HSI is gearing up to leverage 3D printing for space applications

POSTED ON Apr 26, 2023

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) announced in March that for the fourth consecutive year, the institution is now No. 4 in federal research expenditures among public higher education institutions in Texas. UTEP broke its record for research conducted with $130.5 million in expenditures for FY 2022.

In related news, UTEP also announced that they had joined a project led by NASA to leverage 3D-printing processes. The aim is to manufacture rechargeable batteries using lunar and Martian regolith, which is the top layer of materials that covers the surface of the moon and Mars.

According to UTEP, ACS Energy Letters, a peer-reviewed journal from the American Chemical Society, published an article titled “What Would Battery Manufacturing on the Moon and Mars Look Like?” in January, detailing the progress UTEP and NASA researchers have already made on this project.

The published work highlights two types of 3D-printing processes – material extrusion (ME) and vat photopolymerization (VPP) – to produce shape-conformable batteries on the moon and Mars. These batteries could be embedded in 3D-printed concrete walls and connected to solar power generation to create compact, self-sustaining homes for disaster response in developing countries.

The UTEP’s $615,000 grant is part of a $2.5 million project that includes Youngstown State University (YSU), 3D printer manufacturer Formlabs, as well as ICON, the private sector company currently leading the NASA Mars Dune Alpha project aiming to 3D print future habitats on Mars.

The project’s long-term goal is to maximize the sustainability of astronauts’ future lunar and Martian missions by reducing payload weight and dead volume. Utilizing local resources widely available on the moon or Mars is crucial to developing infrastructure such as habitation modules, power generation, and energy storage facilities.

UTEP will get to flex its muscle as a national leader in additive manufacturing for space applications as a major partner in a NASA-led project to 3D print rechargeable batteries using lunar and Martian soil. Learn more: https://t.co/5F1LER6PHn pic.twitter.com/Wz0lVhPJSZ

— UTEP (@UTEP) March 23, 2023

For the fourth consecutive year, UTEP has broken its record for research conducted, with $130.5M in expenditures for FY 2022. We’re now No. 4 in federal research expenditures among public higher ed institutions in Texas. #PicksUp! Learn more: https://t.co/42YSrdUlEV pic.twitter.com/V3hvY3uhXr

— UTEP (@UTEP) March 28, 2023