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Redwire Corporation has gained NASA’s approval to move forward with its “Mason” project. They would develop a cutting-edge manufacturing technology designed to construct essential infrastructure on the Moon and Mars. This approval follows the successful completion of a Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Mason project.
The Mason initiative is part of a substantial $12.9 million award to Redwire under NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate Tipping Point agreement. The overarching goal is to prototype and test tools that will enable the creation of structures like berms, landing pads, and roads in extraterrestrial environments.
Mason is engineered to transform lunar and Martian regolith (the loose soil and rock found on these celestial bodies) into strong, solid, concrete-like materials. This in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) capability is vital for reducing reliance on materials transported from Earth and lowering mission costs.
The Mason system comprises three specialized tools designed to operate in harsh off-world conditions:
- BASE (Blade for Autonomously Surfacing Environments): A grading tool for leveling surfaces and pushing away rocks.
- PACT (Planetary Automated Compaction Tool):A compaction tool to densify the regolith.
- M3LT (Microwave Melter of Martian and Lunar Terrain): A microwave-based tool that sinters (heats to fuse without melting) regolith into durable materials.
Mason is designed to be adaptable and platform-agnostic, meaning it can be integrated with various robotic arms, landers, or rovers. By creating robust surfaces, it addresses challenges like dust control, which can damage equipment and pose health risks to astronauts.
Redwire is collaborating with several key partners on the Mason project, including NASA Kennedy Space Center Swamp Works, Lambda Technologies, the Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Central Florida. With the successful CDR, Redwire is now set to fabricate a prototype of Mason and conduct functional testing in simulated space environments. The company is also actively exploring opportunities for in-space flight demonstrations of the technology.
