In July 1969, the world watched in awe as a human walked on the moon, and Neil Armstrong uttered the words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Much has changed in the past five decades, and now space travel may continue in new and different ways—and man may be responsible for the construction and development of new communities on different planets.
NASA’s Artemis campaign aims to explore the moon for scientific discovery and prepare for human missions to Mars, with lunar bases planned by 2030 and round trip to Mars in 2039. I will admit I have many reservations—and others have the same concerns—especially since two astronauts were recently stranded on the International Space Station for nine months when their spacecraft had technical issues.
Certainly, there are many challenges we could explore, but for today’s blog let’s narrow in on the vast opportunities, which is a conversation I had with Matthew Weinzierl, professor, Harvard Business School, and Brendan Rosseau, strategy manager, Blue Origin, on The Peggy Smedley Show earlier this year about opportunities in space and returning to the moon. Now, NASA has its eyes set on Mars, but if we are going to colonize on a different planet, we must consider all the implications. And it’s certainly interesting fodder for the construction industry.
Building on the Moon and Mars
Here at Constructech, we have written about how NASA is preparing for a presence on the moon to prepare for missions to Mars. ICON develops advanced construction technologies that use proprietary 3D printing robotics, software, and advanced materials. What’s exciting here is that they are shifting the paradigm of homebuilding on Earth and beyond and received a contract to develop space-based construction systems. We wrote about this a while back and how technology and critical infrastructure can help with lunar habitation.
The number one issue that exists is cost. It costs anywhere from $500,000-1 million to haul one kilogram of anything into space. The solution: figure out how to do construction in zero gravity. Now, in July 2025, we see Texas A&M is doing some research on how construction can happen in zero gravity.
Texas A&M is researching how autonomous systems, robotics, and advanced materials can be used to build structures on the moon and Mars. As an example, the team is working on 3D-printing lunar bricks.
While new technology is great, what do we always say? We need people, process, and technology, which the team at Texas A&M recognizes as well.
Dr. Patrick Suermann, a professor of construction science in the College of Architecture, a civil and environmental engineer and a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, points to the need for new standards and processes.
It’s almost impossible not to love it when he declares, “We are designing things that are able to resist forces on the Moon and Mars. We’re establishing new knowledge and processes that should implemented in all construction if we are to remain competitive.”
Ultimately, these same technologies used in space could also be used here on Earth to improve safety, reduce costs, and increase sustainability. For example, the 3D lunar bricks could help here during disaster relief and remote construction.
The future is certainly bright for research and development in this area. Texas A&M will host the International American Society of Engineers 2026 Earth and Space Conference, which is the 20th biennial conference. Suermann says the event is going to be Texas-sized and hopes for continued investment in space research.
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