New ‘laser origami’ technique could turn moon dust into infrastructure, build lunar bases

Researchers at the University of Florida are exploring a manufacturing technique that could one day help astronauts build tools, replacement parts, and even structures on the moon using materials already found there.

The approach, which researchers describe as a form of “laser origami,” uses concentrated laser beams to bend and shape materials without touching them. The technology could reduce the amount of equipment and supplies future lunar missions need to carry from Earth, potentially lowering costs and increasing flexibility for long-duration space exploration.

The work is led by Victoria M. Miller, an associate professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering and a researcher at the Astraeus Space Institute. The team’s latest findings were recently published in the journal Lasers in Manufacturing and Materials Processing.

Manufacturing without heavy machinery

Traditional manufacturing typically relies on bulky tools, presses, molds, and other equipment to shape materials into useful components. That approach works well on Earth, where weight and volume are rarely major constraints. Space missions, however, operate under very different conditions.

Every kilogram launched into orbit costs money, and transporting large amounts of machinery to the moon or Mars becomes increasingly impractical. Laser forming offers an alternative. Instead of physically pressing or cutting materials, the process uses highly concentrated heat from a laser to create controlled internal stresses that bend a material into a desired shape.

Because the process does not require direct contact, heavy tooling, or molds, it could be particularly attractive for future space-based manufacturing systems.

“When we build things on Earth, we have machinery,” Miller explained in comments released by the university. “Massive amounts of machinery and weight and volume are not really constraints when we’re doing conventional manufacturing on Earth.” In space, she noted, every tool adds weight, volume, and launch costs.

Turning moon dust into building material

One of the most intriguing aspects of the research involves lunar regolith. The loose dust and rock covering the moon’s surface. Scientists have long viewed lunar regolith as a potential resource for future moon bases because transporting construction materials from Earth is extremely expensive.

To test the concept, one of the team’s collaborators produced glass using lunar soil simulant, a material engineered to mimic the properties of actual moon dust. Researchers then applied their laser-forming process to successfully bend the resulting lunar glass into new shapes.

The experiment demonstrated that materials derived from lunar resources could potentially be manufactured and modified directly on the moon. Such a capability could support the construction of habitats, infrastructure components, protective structures, and specialized tools using locally available materials rather than imported supplies.

Beyond the moon

The team’s latest study focused on another important challenge. Understanding how laser forming behaves under different atmospheric conditions.

That question is particularly relevant because manufacturing on the moon would occur in an almost complete vacuum, while future missions could involve environments very different from those on Earth.

The researchers found that studying these conditions could help determine how laser-based manufacturing systems might operate in space. According to Miller, one of the most promising aspects of the technology is its versatility.

“The thing that I’m most excited about is that we can bend basically anything,” she said. “I haven’t found a material that we can’t bend yet, even glass.” While the technology remains in the research stage, it aligns with a broader goal shared by many space agencies. Enabling astronauts to manufacture what they need, when they need it, using resources already available at their destination.

If successful, future lunar explorers may not need to pack every spare part before launch. Instead, they could simply create new components on demand using a laser, local materials, and a little bit of engineering ingenuity.

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