Review of Lunar Regolith Forming Technologies for In-Situ Manufacturing/Construction on the Lunar Surface

The utilization of lunar resources is critical for the long-term sustainability of China’s lunar exploration missions. In-situ manufacturing and construction using lunar regolith as the primary feedstock can provide essential support for establishing, operating, and maintaining lunar bases. This paper presents a comprehensive review of current lunar regolith forming technologies. These methods fall into two main categories, depending on whether Earth-based additives are required during the forming process. Direct forming technologies rely entirely on local materials and require minimal or no external input. In contrast, indirect forming technologies depend on additional binders or components transported from Earth. The advantages and limitations of each approach are analyzed across several dimensions, including technical principles, forming speed, forming precision, forming quality, environmental adaptability, energy consumption, and process simplicity. This paper evaluates the application potential of each method in two key lunar use cases: large-scale infrastructure construction and flexible manufacturing of fine-structured components. Based on this analysis, development trends and strategic recommendations are proposed to support the optimization and deployment of in-situ resource utilization-based lunar regolith forming technologies for diverse lunar surface applications.