Ahmedabad-based space research and technology company AAKA Space Studio has 3D printed a physical radiation shield using materials engineered to replicate the chemical composition of Martian soil.

The shield was demonstrated at an analog space mission in Gujarat, with raw materials sourced from Salem and Ariyalur from Tamil Nadu. According to a news report , the shield is said to be the first of its kind in Asia to be built this way, and the method it proves out is the more significant development.

AAKA sourced olivine-rich basalt from ultramafic complexes in Salem, and marly limestone from the Ariyalur basin, then formulated them into a high-fidelity Martian soil analogue.

These materials were combined with lime-based binders designed to behave like cement under Martian conditions and fed into MiCoB ’s MiCO-V concrete 3D printing system .…