Space 3D Printing
Tiny 3D Printed Rocket Thruster Could Democratize Nanosatellites
A study out of MIT shows the first proof of concept for a 3D printed electrospray rocket thruster, built to help nanosatellites navigate orbit. Not only is the new thruster…
Startup Accelerator: Ursa Major is 3D Printing Rocket Engines to Grow Space Economy
In the next decades, the space economy will drive advances in innovation, technology, and manufacturing. In 2020, space leaders like Aerojet Rocketdyne, Made In Space, and SpaceX hit new milestones…
Georgia Middle Schoolers 3D Print Parts for the Space Station
At Dade County Middle School in Trenton, Georgia, two students have 3D printed parts for the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the HUNCH (High school students United with…
ARTEMIS I Mission: NASA’s Orion Capsule Ready to Fly to the Moon
With NASA gearing up for its upcoming mission to the Moon, 2021 will be a big year for space news. Ramping up its ambitious plans to return humans to the…
Sintavia Expands Rocket 3D Printing with Two New M4K-4 Metal 3D Printers
Florida-based Sintavia has expanded its metal 3D printing capabilities in order to grow its capacity for 3D printing rocket parts. The printers it has acquired are no ordinary metal 3D…
NASA Successfully Tests 3D Printed Rocket Engine Parts
NASA‘s renewed efforts to return humans to the moon by 2024 has led to advances in new space technologies to improve processes, and reduce costs and development time. In early…
Top 10 Space 3D Printing Stories That Made 2020 Unique
In a year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, it seems difficult to look beyond the outbreak, lockdown measures, and serious consequences to the global economy. Time Magazine even declared 2020…
Relativity Space Secures $3M NASA Contract to Launch CubeSats in 2022
The U.S. space agency’s Launch Services Program (LSP) has allotted contracts to three companies on December 11, 2020, to launch small satellites (SmallSats) to space, including CubeSats, microsats, and nanosatellites….
ESA Aims to Extract Oxygen from Moon Dust and 3D Print Metal with the Remnants
For those following from afar the various projects geared toward additive construction on the Moon or Mars, one thought may not have occurred: what about oxygen? How will astronauts breathe…
Blue Origin: 3D Printed Lunar Lander Engine Could Take First Woman to the Moon
Throughout Blue Origin’s 20-year history, the aerospace manufacturer has taken steps to make access to space cheaper and more reliable by developing rocket engines, launch vehicles, and capsules that will…
Redwire Successfully 3D Prints Ceramic Turbine Part in Orbit
Manufacturing turbine parts with additive manufacturing (AM) technology has helped accelerate product development, creating very complex and intricate part geometries without the need for any tooling. Aerospace companies have been…
ESA Award: Dawn Aerospace to Develop Novel 3D Printed Combustion Chambers
Space launch provider Dawn Aerospace announced it had received €385,000 to develop an additively manufactured combustion chamber for high performance and high combustion pressure rocket engines. The company said the…
Rocket Lab’s Successful Booster Recovery Could Lead to Reusable 3D Printed Rockets
New Zealand space startup Rocket Lab had a very successful year. Early on in March 2020, it was selected by NASA to launch the Pathfinder Mission to the Moon. Then,…
NASA Announces Collaborations to Advance 3D Printing Technologies for Space Exploration
In only four years, NASA astronauts are expected to land on the Moon as part of the space agency’s ambitious Artemis program that will use innovative technologies to explore more…
ASTM Enters Agreement with NASA to Support 3D Printing
International standards organization ASTM International, which is dedicated to serving global societal needs, announced in 2017 that it was setting up an Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE), and was…
Bioprinting in Microgravity: Where Do We Stand?
A crucial part of translating biomedical research and technology into space health means space crew will have to create their own functional cells, tissues, and even organs. Although the realization…
NASA Refines Space Station Urine Recycling with 3D Printing
While additive manufacturing (AM) on Earth advances, so too do the possibilities in space. We have yet to see the 3D printers aboard the International Space Station (ISS) save the…
ESA and Zortrax 3D Print PEEK Composites for Built-in Electronics
Polish 3D printing solutions provider Zortrax has been working with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the last year to figure out how to use 3D printing to fabricate high-performance…
Project Olympus: ICON Chosen by NASA to Develop Moon Base 3D Printing Tech
The hype around additive construction continues to grow. Unlike the days in which WinSun would “3D print” a six-story apartment building, we’re seeing numerous projects undertaken by a variety of…
Martian Biolith: A New Bioinspired Composite for 3D Printing on Mars
There are many challenges for in-situ resource utilization off-Earth. However, as human space exploration plans draw near, there is a pressing need to come up with creative solutions that will…
3D Printing Off-Earth: ISS National Lab Hosts AM in Space Workshop
Off-Earth manufacturing is beginning to shed some light on how humans could live in orbit. The development of in-situ resource capabilities, like in-space manufacturing, for sustaining life and mobility in…
Indian Space Startup Unveils Fully 3D Printed Cryogenic Rocket Engine
Indian space tech startup Skyroot Aerospace unveiled a fully 3D printed cryogenic engine that is meant to fuel the upper stage of one of its rockets. Called Dhawan-1, the rocket…
Made In Space to Launch Ceramic SLA 3D Printer to ISS
Innovative space company Made in Space has continually surprised us with inventions such as the Archinaut large object printer, bioprinting, its longest 3D printed part, and its Additive Manufacturing Facility for…
Japanese Giant Sumitomo Corporation Invests in Sintavia Metal 3D Printing
One of the world’s largest traders of goods and services, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA) announced it will increase investment in metal additive manufacturing company Sintavia. The transaction, which is…
