The robot tasked with making bricks out of lunar soil will be launched during China’s Chang’e-8 mission around 2028.
Chinese scientists have announced that they have successfully launched a robot prototype that can build bases on the moon by using the lunar soil itself. Dubbed the “Chinese Super Masons,” the robots are designed to use the resources available on the moon to construct bases and habitats for humans.
According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the robots were launched on a Long March-5 rocket on Friday, April 15th, 2023, from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China. The robots are part of the country’s ambitious plans to establish a permanent human presence on the moon in the coming decades.
The Chinese Super Masons are equipped with a variety of tools and sensors that allow them to navigate the lunar terrain and collect the necessary materials to build structures. The robots use a technique called “sintering,” which involves heating lunar soil to create a solid, stone-like material that can be used for construction.
“By using local materials for construction, we can reduce the amount of resources we need to bring from Earth, which is incredibly expensive,” said Dr. Chen Guoliang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences who is involved in the project.
The Chinese Super Masons are also designed to work autonomously, without the need for human intervention. This is important because the moon’s harsh environment makes it difficult for humans to live and work there for extended periods of time.
The robots are just one part of China’s broader efforts to establish a permanent human presence on the moon. In recent years, the country has launched a series of lunar missions, including the successful landing of the Chang’e-5 spacecraft, which collected samples from the moon’s surface and returned them to Earth.
China’s lunar program is part of a broader trend of space exploration and colonization, with countries and private companies around the world investing in technologies that can support long-term human habitation in space. As Dr. Chen noted, “Our goal is to build a sustainable and self-sufficient presence on the moon, and the Chinese Super Masons are an important step towards achieving that goal.”
By The Impactlab
Robot hiyo itakayofanya matofali kutoka kwenye udongo wa mwezi itatolewa kwenye anga ya dunia wakati wa safari ya Chang'e-8 ya China mwaka 2028. Wanasayansi wa China wametangaza kuwa wamefanikiwa kutuma roboti inayoweza kujenga vituo kwenye Mwezi kwa kutumia udongo wa mwezi. Roboti hizo, zinazoitwa "Super Masons wa China", zimekusudiwa kutumia rasilimali zinazopatikana kwenye mwezi kujenga misingi na makao ya wanadamu. Kulingana na Chuo cha Sayansi cha China, roboti hizo zilitolewa kwa roketi ya Long March 5 siku ya Ijumaa, Aprili 15, 2023 kutoka Kituo cha Uzinduzi wa Anga cha Wenchang kusini mwa China. Roboti hizo ni sehemu ya mipango ya nchi hiyo ya kuanzisha uwepo wa kudumu wa binadamu kwenye mwezi katika miongo ijayo. Wamason wa China wana vifaa mbalimbali vya kutengeneza vifaa vya kuendesha gari na vifaa vya kukusanya vifaa vya ujenzi. Roboti hizo zinatumia mbinu inayoitwa "sintering", ambayo inahusisha kupasha joto udongo wa mwezi ili kuunda nyenzo thabiti, kama jiwe ambayo inaweza kutumika kwa ujenzi. "Kwa kutumia vifaa vya ndani kwa ajili ya ujenzi, tunaweza kupunguza kiasi cha rasilimali tunahitaji kuleta kutoka Dunia, ambayo ni ghali sana, "alisema Daktari Chen Guoliang, mtafiti katika Chuo cha Sayansi cha China ambaye ni kushiriki katika mradi huo." Wamason wa Kichina wa Juu pia wamebuniwa kufanya kazi kwa kujitegemea, bila uhitaji wa kuingilia kati kwa kibinadamu. Hii ni muhimu kwa sababu mazingira magumu ya mwezi hufanya iwe vigumu kwa wanadamu kuishi na kufanya kazi huko kwa muda mrefu. Roboti hizo ni sehemu tu ya juhudi kubwa za China za kuanzisha uwepo wa kudumu wa binadamu kwenye mwezi. Katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, nchi hiyo imezindua mfululizo wa misheni ya mwezi, ikiwa ni pamoja na kutua kwa mafanikio kwa chombo cha angani cha Chang'e-5 ambacho kilikusanya sampuli kutoka uso wa mwezi na kuirudisha duniani. Programu ya mwezi ya China ni sehemu ya mwelekeo mkubwa wa uvumbuzi wa anga na ukoloni, na nchi na makampuni binafsi duniani kote kuwekeza katika teknolojia ambayo inaweza kusaidia makazi ya muda mrefu ya binadamu katika anga. "Kama Dr. Chen alivyosema, ""Lengo letu ni kujenga uwepo endelevu na wa kujitegemea kwenye Mwezi, na Super Masons ya Kichina ni hatua muhimu kuelekea kufikia lengo hilo."""