3D-printed habitats

In an effort to reduce the amount of supplies launched and shipped to Mars, NASA is exploring the use of robots to utilize resources already available on the red planet.

Last year, the space agency launched the first phase of a public competition to design and build a 3D-printed habitat for deep space exploration. Teams from countries like Germany, Israel and the U.K. all submitted innovative concepts that could be built using materials present in Mars' soil.

The next phases will focus on recycling and repurposing materials sent to Mars, as well as the fabrication process for creating the habitats.