What primary principle dictates that Martian habitats must be built using local materials like regolith?

Answer

Shipping heavy construction materials like steel or concrete from Earth is prohibitively expensive

In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is necessary because the launch costs associated with transporting massive amounts of construction supplies from Earth are economically unsustainable.

What primary principle dictates that Martian habitats must be built using local materials like regolith?

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