Review on Challenges and Methods for Habitat Construction on Mars

The launching of the first satellite was successfully conducted in 1957, and since then, the solar system has been explored by various space research organizations adopting different probing technologies. In our solar system, Mars is the most accessible planet because of the water pattern and being close to the Earth. The exploration of Mars is trending so much that by 2040 many space agencies like the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and other space agencies are deciding to build a permanent solution by constructing a habitat for living. Using local resources as construction material is known as In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). The challenges facing the Martian environment are the average temperature on Mars which is − 81 °F and extremely low atmospheric pressure of 1–2% compared to that of the Earth’s surface, with no magnetic field and high radiation. Building and construction on this place are very difficult and it’s not possible to take everything from the Earth. The challenge of making a habitat in a planetary environment necessitates the creation of new development technologies. Therefore, an advanced construction technique additive manufacturing (AM) is required to develop a dwelling structure. This paper identifies the key challenges during the construction, gives a detailed review and properties of local materials available with different binder composites of Martian simulants, and discusses the proposed idea of different structures design with an additive manufacturing (AM) process.