Sunday 12/October/2025 – 12:33 AM
The US space agency NASA has revealed an ambitious plan to establish housing for astronauts on the surface of the moon inside transparent glass bubbles made entirely of lunar dust, in a move aimed at paving the way for long-term human life outside Earth.
NASA reveals a plan to build glass housing on the moon
According to the Telegraph newspaper, NASA is funding research to develop on-site construction techniques using the resources of the Moon itself. The idea is based on collecting lunar glass material found in the Moon’s soil, then melting it using a technology similar to household microwave ovens to form huge bubbles that can become safe and illuminated housing units.
The innovative idea was developed by Skyports Engineering Company, which demonstrated the possibility of blowing glass balls from lunar dust in preliminary experiments. The company seeks to expand the size of these balls to become domes with a diameter of up to 1,600 feet, capable of embracing astronauts and providing an integrated living environment, with self-healing glass that can repair itself after any crack resulting from meteorites or lunar vibrations.
Solar panels to generate energy
The glass residence will be equipped with solar panels to generate energy, and 3D printing technology will be used to build the interior equipment from local materials. The spherical design provides ideal resistance to pressure, while natural light through transparent walls ensures an improvement in the psychological state of the astronauts.
The development teams also plan to integrate a mini-ecosystem inside the bubbles, allowing plants and vegetables to be grown to provide food and oxygen. The glass blowing technology will be tested in environments simulating space conditions next January, and will later be tested on the International Space Station, in preparation for its application on the surface of the moon during the next two years.
This project comes within NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts Program (NIAC), which aims to support ideas capable of transforming the future of space exploration. NASA believes that building structures from lunar resources provides an economical and sustainable alternative to transporting materials from Earth, and represents a step towards creating future glass cities on the Moon and perhaps other planets.
