In-space Manufacturing & ISRU
In SEMI-LAb, we advance Solid-State Additive Manufacturing to enable in-situ fabrication, repair, and functionalization of components for In-Space Manufacturing and In-Situ Resource Utilization . By transforming lunar and martian regolith simulants into feedstocks for structural, energy-harvesting, and dust-mitigating applications, we aim to reduce Earth dependence and support sustainable lunar and in-space missions.
Our current work explores:
- Powder engineering of lunar and Martian regolith simulants
- Design and development of novel regolith-based surface architectures for multifunctional applications
- Multi-scale additive manufacturing of regolith-derived materials
- Multiphysics modeling of regolith deposition under space conditions (i.e., vacuum, microgravity, radiation)
- S. Rahman, S. Akin, "Cold spray deposition of lunar regolith on polymeric substrates: A pathway toward in-situ resource utilization on the Moon", Surfaces & Interfaces, 2026. [Link]
- S. Rahman, S. Akin, "Cold spraying of lunar regolith composite powders toward in-space electronics manufacturing", ASME International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference (MSEC-2026), (Under Review).