Additive Manufacturing of Regolith Composites for Rapid Space Infrastructure

What if the debris in space could build the structures that let us stay there? As humanity pushes from low Earth orbit (LEO) to the lunar surface, the logistics of transporting construction materials from Earth become untenable, at $1.2M USD per kilogram, both economically and operationally. The answer may already be in orbit and underfoot.

This keynote presents Space Copy's findings from the 2026 Phase-II NASA LunaRecycle Challenge, where our team advanced AERIS, a TRL 6 additive manufacturing system using regolith simulants and space-waste composite feedstocks to produce functional structural components in simulated space environments. Rather than treating orbital debris and mission waste as problems to manage, this talk reframes them as raw material assets for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), a critical enabler for sustained human presence beyond Earth.

Attendees will walk away with a clear-eyed assessment of where this technology stands today, what it will take to move from challenge testbed to operational deployment, and how commercial-government partnerships, including NASA SBIRs, Space Act Agreements and CAN Agreements, the frameworks themselves, are essential to accelerating that path. Key discussion points include material performance benchmarks achieved during Phase II, the technology readiness trajectory from TRL to mission-ready systems, and the infrastructure deployment scenarios where additive manufacturing from local resources delivers the greatest strategic value, from LEO depots to lunar outpost construction.

Led by former NASA leader, Madison C. Feehan, this session is designed for engineers, mission planners, and commercial space investors who want to understand how in-space manufacturing is transitioning from concept to capability, and what the industry must do together to make it scalable.