NASA has shown giant houses where astronauts will live on the Moon and their robot assistant. Photo

NASA showed giant houses where astronauts will live on the Moon. The agency also demonstrated a robot assistant that will collect the materials needed for construction.

The space agency is now preparing to send people to the lunar surface. The Artemis III mission should take place no earlier than September 2026, TheSun reports.

NASA plans to have astronauts land on the Moon's south pole, marking the beginning of long-term plans for a permanent human presence on the Earth's satellite.

According to scientists, in the future, the US agency hopes to be able to mine lunar regolith, a layer of surface rock, to create accessible structures on the Moon.

The vision of the experts is to create "fully equipped facilities and buildings to support a permanent settlement on the Moon and a vibrant space economy."

Robots will be used to work on the satellite's surface. NASA has already tested virtual versions of mining robots in computer simulations, which have been internally nicknamed "Moon Tycoon."

A real version of the robot excavator will fly to the Moon "in the next few years" to demonstrate that it can successfully collect "up to 10 metric tons of regolith," experts say.

"This will be the first excavation for mining to utilize the resources of Mars," said NASA robotic engineer Jason Schuler.

Once NASA is able to successfully collect rock from the Moon, it will be able to begin testing the actual construction of structures on the Moon's surface, experts say.

One of the options is a type of building with a Class III structure.

According to engineers, a Class I building is constructed on Earth and then delivered to the Moon. For Class II, the structure must be assembled directly on the surface of the satellite. Class III is when the building is completely made on the Moon from local resources.

Scientists plan that when the stone is collected on the Moon, it will then be possible to 3D-print any building that NASA needs.

NASA says that Class III construction will work not only on the Moon but also on Mars.

Importantly, the material that NASA will collect with the robot is not just for space homes. The agency said it could use the material to build 50-meter towers, long roads, and large launch pads.

NASA said it would provide "asset and crew protection" from "thermal and radiation" hazards. The goal of the construction would be to ensure that these systems would last at least 10 years.

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