On 18 October 2026, Videnskab.dk reported that DTU PhD student Emma Porsbjerg printed five multi-layer bricks from lunar regolith simulant; one brick cracked, while four survived the test. The work follows a Force Technology trial reported in Danish Space News Issue #20. Porsbjerg has submitted the technology to ESA’s Space Resources Challenge 2027.
The result indicates that multi-layer additive manufacturing of lunar-dust-derived construction units is technically feasible, but the 20% observed failure rate remains unacceptable for critical pressure shelters or permanent repositories without further qualification. Reliable in-situ production could convert locally available regolith into shielding, landing infrastructure, antenna supports, storage structures, and other non-pressurised assets, reducing dependence on Earth-launched materials and limiting exposure to launch-supply disruption.
The Ark team should track the ESA Space Resources Challenge 2027 outcome, obtain the full DTU process and failure data, and require testing under vacuum, thermal cycling, lunar-gravity-relevant handling, radiation exposure, abrasive dust conditions, and structural loads. Integrate regolith printing into habitat and archive-site trade studies, while treating the technology as provisional until repeated production achieves documented reliability substantially above the current 80% survival rate; an Independent Research Fund Denmark-funded vacuum chamber is expected to be ready in spring 2027.