Space 3D Printing
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,…
SpaceX’s First Twilight Rideshare Carries 3D Printing Experiment Into Orbit
SpaceX launched its first Twilight rideshare mission early Sunday morning, sending 40 small payloads into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. While the launch included missions for NASA and several…
Velo3D’s Space Hardware Win Comes Just Weeks After $30 Million Capital Raise
A new spacecraft manufacturing milestone from Velo3D (Nasdaq: VELO) is drawing attention not only for its technical importance, but also for the timing. On January 5, 2026, Momentus announced that…
How 3D Printing is Making the World a Better Place, One Medical Innovation at a Time
One of the most significant sectors for 3D printing applications is the healthcare field. According to an AM Research report, the 3D printed medical device market is estimated to reach…
QuesTek’s Space Bet: New Alloys Built for 3D Printing, Not for the Old Rules
If you ask most people what’s holding back 3D printing in aerospace, they usually think the answer is better hardware; mainly faster machines, bigger build chambers, and tighter process control….
3DPOD 285: Manufacturing on the Moon with Amolak Badesha, Orbital Composites
Amolak Badesha has a habit of being ahead of the curve in GPUs and optics. So his outlandish and very futuristic claims in this podcast may seem crazy, but maybe…
3D Printing Used to Make Prototype Plasma Camera Measuring Charged Particles in Space
Space is a vacuum, we’ve all heard that before. But that doesn’t mean it’s completely empty, just that it has an extremely low amount of particles and matter. Stars emit…
LEAP 71 Successfully Tests Two Fully 3D Printed Methane Rocket Engines in Just Weeks
LEAP 71 has reached a major milestone in space propulsion, successfully hot fire testing two different rocket engines that were designed by software and fully 3D printed. The engines, each…
3DPOD 284: Portal Space CEO Jeff Thornburg on Leveraging AM to Orbit
Jeff Thornburg has a wealth of experience, starting in the Air Force, Aerojet, NASA, SpaceX, and more. His experience in additive and space has now led him to start Portal…
SWISSto12 Celebrates Success
SWISSto12 has announced progress in 2025. The satellite maker specializing in additively manufactured components announced that its revenues are up 40%. It has also continued building the first four of…
Dcubed’s New ARAQYS Platform Could 3D Print Kilowatts of Power in Space by 2027
Dcubed, the Munich-based startup that has been building one of the most advanced in-space manufacturing programs in the world, is taking its biggest step yet. The company has unveiled ARAQYS,…
2.5D Mouse Muscle Tissue Made on Vomit Comet
In space, manufacturing has always been an area with much speculation but little actual progress. The idea is simple: zero or reduced gravity environments may be a better place to…
