Space 3D Printing
Hadrian and Fortastra Bet on Automated Factories to Fix Satellite Production Bottlenecks
Demand for satellites continues to grow, and manufacturers are looking for ways to build spacecraft faster without affecting performance. One way to do that is to involve manufacturing companies earlier…
3D Printing News Briefs, July 25, 2026: Distribution, Board Game, & More
We’re starting with material distribution news in this weekend’s 3D Printing News Briefs, and then on to outer space. We’ll end with a story about an ancient board game. Read…
NASA Funds Phase3D Research Project to Advance In-Situ Monitoring for Metal AM
Garbage in, garbage out: that cliche is currently associated most often with AI, but it really refers to the universal principle whereby a final outcome is only as useful as…
SWISSto12 Closes $70 Million Series C Round
Swiss satellite manufacturer SWISSto12 has closed a $70 million Series C round. This follows $84.8 million that the company received from ESA and ESA member states, and previous rounds that…
Dawn Aerospace Raises $25 Million as 3D Printing Helps Power Reusable Spaceflight Ambitions
The race to build the next generation of reusable spacecraft just got another boost. Dawn Aerospace has landed $25 million in Series B funding to help scale its reusable space…
Rocket Lab Buys Iridium in $8 Billion Deal, Creating a New SpaceX Rival
Rocket Lab is buying Iridium for $8 billion in a cash-and-stock deal worth $54 per share. Shareholders will receive $27 in cash plus additional Rocket Lab common stock. The company…
New Study Shows Electronics Could Be Manufactured Directly in Space
A team of researchers from Auburn University and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has successfully demonstrated a new additive manufacturing (AM) process that could allow astronauts to manufacture electronic components…
NASA Selects Relativity Space for Mars Science Mission
NASA has selected Relativity Space as its commercial partner for a new Mars science mission scheduled for launch in 2028, giving another boost to one of the most well-known additive…
3D Printing News Briefs, June 18, 2026: Reseller, Relocation, Metal Space Powder, & More
We’ll start with business news in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, as XJet appointed a value-added reseller in Germany, BIO INX is expanding its presence in the Italian market, and…
SpaceX IPO Puts a Major 3D Printing Powerhouse on Wall Street
SpaceX officially began trading on the Nasdaq today under the ticker symbol SPCX, marking one of the most anticipated and largest public offerings in Wall Street history. The company priced…
Photocentric Spins Out CosmicMaker to Pursue In-Space Manufacturing
UK-based 3D printing company Photocentric has spun out its space manufacturing activities into a separate business called CosmicMaker, after the successful demonstration of its 3D printing technology aboard a series…
University of Arkansas Researchers Test Metal 3D Printing in a Mars-Like Atmosphere
If humans eventually establish a long-term presence on Mars, they will face a major manufacturing challenge almost immediately. Tools will break. Parts will wear out. Equipment will need repairs. But…
Blue Origin’s New Glenn Explosion Comes During Major Manufacturing Push
Blue Origin‘s orbital New Glenn rocket exploded during a hot-fire test at Launch Complex 36 in Cape Canaveral on May 29, setting back the company’s launch ambitions at a time…
ETH Students 3D Print Experimental Rocket Engine
Students at the Swiss University ETH have built a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE). An RDRE burns propellant in a ring-shaped combustion chamber where a continuous supersonic wave detonation is…
China Becomes Latest Space Power to Demonstrate Metal 3D Printing in Orbit
China has demonstrated metal 3D printing in space as part of its plan to develop manufacturing technologies for future space missions, including Moon construction. The experiment took place aboard the Qingzhou…
SWISSto12 and HPS/LSS Build Unfurling Antenna for Next-Gen Satellite
SWISSto12 is to work with HPS/LSS. High Performance Space Structure Systems and Large Space Structures are two separate firms that work together on large antenna reflectors. The two will work…
Chromatic 3D Materials To Make Rocket Propellant
Chromatic 3D Materials makes cost-effective, tough elastomeric materials. Its process is being used to make industrial parts at scale. Now the film has turned into rocket propellant. The firm is…
Astrobotic Tests Rocket Engine Made with Elementum 3D Materials
Astrobotic has completed a series of hot-fire tests for its Chakram rotating detonation rocket engine, with additive manufacturing (AM) playing an important role in how the engine was built. The…
Artemis II Returned & The Economics of Getting to Space
When the Artemis II crew returned to Earth, the headlines focused on what the mission achieved: a successful crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), systems validated, and a program…
Portal Space Systems Raises $50M Series A, Hits $250M Valuation
Portal Space Systems has raised a $50 million Series A round, valuing the company at $250 million. The startup is developing maneuverable spacecraft designed to operate more dynamically in orbit,…
Artemis II Launches With 3D Printing Onboard, and a Much Bigger Role Ahead
A new chapter in human spaceflight began today as NASA launched Artemis II from Kennedy Space Center, sending astronauts on a journey around the Moon for the first time in…
Japan’s Space Compass Corporation Buys a SWISSto12 Satellite
Japanese firm Space Compass Corporation has agreed to buy a SWISSTo12 GEO optical data relay satellite. The compact Hummingsat will be used for Space Compass’ optical data relay service. Space…
SWISSto12 Extends Swiss Factory
Swiss Omega Speedmaster watches went to space and the moon with the Apollo program. While the watches were Swiss, virtually all of the other equipment was made in the US,…
3D Printing News Briefs, February 7, 2026: Generative AI, USVs, Microgravity, & More
Today’s 3D Printing News Briefs is a bit of a mixed bag. We’re starting with generative AI tools for 3D design from MIT, and then news about USVs. Moving on,…
