Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Designed by: Manoj Kumar
The European Space Agency (ESA) has initiated Project PAVER to enhance lunar surface habitability and navigability. The project aims to create road like surface on the Moon using a unique approach.
The project is a response to the challenges posed by lunar dust, known for its ultra-fine, abrasive, and clingy nature. Previous lunar missions, including Apollo and the Soviet Union's Lunokhod rover, encountered issues due to this dust.
Project PAVER will employ a powerful 12-kilowatt carbon dioxide laser to melt simulated lunar dust into a glassy, solid surface. This innovative technique could revolutionize lunar construction.
The laser beam is used to create triangular, hollow-centred geometric shapes, roughly 20 cm across. These shapes can be interlocked to form solid surfaces, potentially serving as roads or landing pads on the Moon.
The resulting material is glasslike and brittle but can withstand downward compression forces. Even if it breaks, it can be repaired and reused as needed, providing a sustainable solution.
Project PAVER estimates that a 100 square meter landing pad, with a thickness of two centimetres of dense material, could be constructed in just 115 days using this groundbreaking technique.
The project originated from a call for ideas by ESA's Discovery element, which sought research proposals related to off-Earth manufacturing and construction. It received support from various organizations, including Germany's BAM Institute of Materials Research and Testing and the Institute of Materials Physics in Space of the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
This initiative has been hailed as an effective investment, offering multiple promising avenues for further investigation. As astronauts prepare to return to the lunar surface, roads created by Project PAVER could prove instrumental in making lunar exploration safer and more efficient.
Project PAVER's groundbreaking approach to lunar surface construction has the potential to pave the way for future lunar habitation and exploration, offering solutions to longstanding lunar dust challenges.