Recently the ESA (European Space Agency) has partnered up with a London-based architecture firm to explore the possibility of using 3D printing technology to construct buildings on foreign planets in space. The concept involves utilizing the existing sand/dirt on the surface of the planet as the material to create the structures.

The process will involve introducing a binding agent to the sand to create a sand-like building material shown below:

Block of sand-like building material

Initial work on this 3D printing project has revealed findings that the speed at which a base/building can be built would be well within a week. Their initial testing of the process will begin on the moon.