3d printing in space
Metal 3D Printing Accomplished on Space Station, Marking New Era in Orbital Manufacturing
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) can now 3D print metal parts. After the successful installation of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) metal 3D printer last January, the first…
In-Space Carbon Fiber 3D Printing Tech on the Horizon for Anisoprint and Nanoracks
A new deal between carbon fiber 3D printing startup Anisoprint and Nanoracks––the company behind the world’s first free-flying commercial space station set to open in 2027––could help draft the first…
3D Printing Projects Blast Off in NASA’s 2023 Budget Request
On March 28, 2022, we learned that the White House is requesting $26 billion for NASA’s budget in 2023, allowing the space agency to sustain America’s global innovation leadership and…
In-Space Metal 3D Printing from Incus to Be Tested by ESA
Crewed moon missions may still be years away, but space agencies are getting ready for the day when humans will once again explore the lunar surface, driving discovery, innovation, and…
Redwire Project for 3D Printing Anti-Radiation Vests In Space Wins Award
Since private equity firm AE Industrial Partners formed Redwire Space in June 2020, the space startup has been driving disruptive technology innovations and proving it is one of the new…
Redwire ISS Experiment Targets In-Space 3D Printing with Lunar Regolith
Space manufacturer Redwire will send new hardware to the International Space Station (ISS) to demonstrate 3D printing with lunar regolith simulant in microgravity. This milestone could be a major leap…
3DPOD Episode 65: 3D Scanning at the U.S. Space Force with Major Travis Tubbs
This time on the 3DPOD, we get to chat with Major Travis Tubbs of the U.S. Space Force. Surprisingly, a lot of the conversation was about plants, but we also…
10 3D Printing Projects Enter Phase II of NASA’s SBIR Program in 2021
Each year, NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program awards contracts to small businesses across the United States to spur research and commercialization of innovative space technologies. As a renewed…
3D Printing and the Future of Space
Undoubtedly the most exciting frontier for human exploration, outer space is a gateway to probing promising worlds, looking for biosignatures in the atmospheres of exoplanets, or pushing the boundaries of…
Deep Dive into 3D Printing in Microgravity for Future Space Exploration
The extraordinary advantages of a weightless laboratory have fascinated scientists for decades. That’s because observing phenomena and processes in microgravity conditions can help prepare the field for deep-space human explorations…
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…
NASA Awards Contract to Build 3D Printed Batteries in Space
I was recently playing a game of Trivial Pursuit with my parents, and a question came up that I was sure my husband would know the answer to; so, in…
3D Printed Moondust Composite Deemed Suitable for Recycling & Re-Use
The topic of moondust—or regolith—is continually fascinating, especially as it offers the potential for constructing habitats in space. Numerous studies have been performed by researchers investigating whether regolith is indeed…
Moon Dust Melted in Einstein Elevator, Assessing Space Colonization and 3D Printing on the Moon
In terms of colonization, the smallest 3D printer possible could be stashed on board a spacecraft en route to the Moon or Mars, with robots then used to mine for…
Microgravity Space Manufacturing: Droplet-Based 3D Printing Shows Great Potential
In the recently published ‘Suppression of gravity effects on metal droplet deposition manufacturing by an anti-gravity electric field,’ researchers from Northwestern Polytechnical University explore greater complexity in metal 3D printing….
NASA and Made In Space Talk About 3D Printing Recycled Material in Orbit
With deep space exploration moving forward, NASA is using the International Space Station (ISS) to conduct cutting edge research and technological developments to help prepare astronauts as they take the…
ADAM: A Concept for Autonomous Construction on Mars
Gracinda Ferreira has an interesting concept for building structures on Mars and beyond. Her ADAM idea calls for an automated construction tool to 3D print homes on the surface. After…
Basalt Fiber-Reinforced ABS: Researchers Develop Thermoplastic Composite for Use in Space
In the recently published ‘Development and Mechanical Properties of Basalt Fiber-Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene for In-Space Manufacturing Applications,’ we learn more about materials necessary for building in space; for example, a…
The International Space Station Has a New Partner in Regenerative Medicine
Scientific investigations conducted by people on the International Space Station (ISS) are currently contributing to our knowledge in many fields. The research alliance between the University of Pittsburgh’s (Pitt) McGowan Institute for…
Made in Space: Proving Further 3D Printing & Robotics Capabilities with Archinaut System
We hear a lot of talk these days from global aerospace players about how 3D printing and robotics will further space travel, assist in further exploration of the Moon, colonize…
Chinese Scientists Building Solar Space Station, Projecting that 3D Printing & Robotics Will Assist in the Future
Once again, 3D printing and robotics are to be called on as futuristic space plans are developed, this time by the Chinese as they look toward creating a solar power…
NASA Nebraska Space Grant Means Further Collaboration with Copper3D to Study Microbial Risk in Space
Chilean startup Copper3D and 3D printing endeavors at the International Space Station are both interests we have followed actively—but never together up until last year when NASA expressed interest in…
BEEVERYCREATIVE Continues Work with ESA: New ISS 3D Printer to be Developed
BEEVERYCREATIVE first established an outer space connection in 2016, when the Portuguese company was asked by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a breadboard, or prototype, 3D printer for…
An Assessment of the Conditions Needed for 3D Printing A Village on the Moon
For a few years now, the European Space Agency (ESA) has been talking seriously about building a habitable village on the moon, and 3D printing is a big part of…