Chang'e 8 to test use of 3D printing tech to build on moon

Chinese scientists plan to use the Chang'e 8 lunar mission to explore the feasibility of using 3D printing technology to construct buildings on the moon, according to the chief planner of the country's lunar programs.

Wu Weiren, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a leading scientist at the China National Space Administration, said the Chang'e 8 robotic probe — the third to be placed on the moon in the country's next lunar exploration endeavor — is set to land on the moon's South Pole to conduct on-site investigations of the environment and mineral composition at the landing site, and to check if some advanced technologies, 3D printing for example, can be done on the lunar surface using lunar materials in the future.

"If we wish to stay on the moon for a long time, we need to set up stations by using the moon's own materials," he said in a recent interview, ahead of the Space Day of China that falls on Monday.