SPACE (Solidified Profile Aluminum Cast Extrusions)

The SPACE (Solidified Profile Aluminum Cast Extrusions) technology is a materials and manufacturing approach that comprised of additive free form casting and high strength aluminum alloy that enable lunar infrastructure construction by the free form casting of structural components such as truss members, angles, rods, and tubes from molten aluminum and other ISRU-derived metals. Merging the efficiency of Direct Chill (DC) casting with the precision of tube extrusion techniques, SPACE optimally utilizes ISRU-derived materials, casting them into complex shapes while leveraging latent heat of solidification (~420 kJ/Kg Al) to boost process energy efficiency. Furthermore, SPACE employs specially designed nozzles to capture and repurpose waste heat generated during solidification, using this recovered energy to power accumulators for molten material extrusion and normalizing heat-treatment. This approach not only enhances the system's energy efficiency but also significantly reduces reliance on Earth-sourced consumables and manufacturing equipment, making it an ideal solution for producing durable materials from aluminum and aluminum-scandium alloys. Designed to support Artemis missions and sustainable lunar colonization efforts, SPACE technology facilitates the construction of lunar infrastructure, promoting the sustainable use of in-situ resources.

Lunar manufacturing is important for successful habitat development and contingent on the availability of materials along with the capabilities and expertise to process feedstock into useful formats. Extraterrestrial manufacturing presents unique challenges and, most importantly, exciting opportunities to rethink how we might shape raw materials into habitats and communication equipment required to produce livable infrastructure. NASA has identified several critical structural components as building blocks for the "envisioned lunar infrastructure" using the material resources available to the NASA voyager on the Moon and later Mars. The raw materials identified by NASA include silicon as a primary product and Aluminum and Iron as secondary by-products. Ce-Ri-SS aims to provide a scalable solution to the production application-ready square and angle truss cross sections made from a unique Silicon, Iron and Scandium containing aluminum-based alloy tailored for manufacturing on the Moon using ISRU resources. While this proposal is focused on the applications specifically requested in the NASA RFP, the basic manufacturing techniques have stirred interest in the commercial area as well. While space transportation logistics are orders of magnitude higher than earth-based systems, the transportation of raw materials to manufacture thousands of miles away is costly, adds a significant time cost component and is environmentally costly. Using SPACE (Solidified Profile Aluminum Cast Extrusions) technology can enable near mining and near smelting component production significantly reducing those costs for some components.

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