in-situ resource utilization
Daring AM: Prepare to 3D Print in Space
NASA is laying the groundwork for the future of space 3D printing. Producing spacecraft, rocket components, advanced materials, and larger structures directly in orbit will revolutionize traditional off-Earth manufacturing. As…
UTEP Joins NASA Project to 3D Print Batteries in Space with Lunar Regolith
Hot on the heels of previous federal grants to develop space technologies, like mining water on the Moon, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has joined a project…
NASA Student Challenge Aims at Extracting Metal, 3D Printing Infrastructure on the Moon
With NASA’s first Artemis Moon mission set to launch in just a few days, the space agency is gearing to send teams of people to the lunar south pole by…
NASA Funds Contour Crafting’s Material Transport Tech for Lunar Construction
We recently reported that NASA was funding more than 20 3D printing-related proposals as part of its 2022 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program….
NASA Funds 3D Printing Research in 2022 SBIR/STTR Awards
Out of 333 proposals that NASA is funding as part of its 2022 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, 24 are either creating new…
3D Printed BioPods Could Grow Plants Anywhere, on Earth and in Space
Unveiled at the 2021 Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the design for the first inflatable plant cultivation pod holds a lot of potential for expanding sustainable farming on…
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…
College Students Compete to Bring Space 3D Printing to 2021 NASA MINDS Challenge
Five teams from U.S. colleges received $1,500 each from NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Innovative New Designs for Space (MINDS) in 2021 to design, build and test…
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…
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…
Northwestern University Researchers 3D Print Flexible Objects with Simulated Lunar and Martian Soil
Just a few days ago, scientists from Fotec revealed that they had 3D printed small structures from simulated Martian soil. The structures, a small conical dwelling and a portion of a wall,…
Made In Space Plans to 3D Print ‘Steampunk’ Ships From Asteroid Material
It’s well nigh impossible to discuss 3D printing technology in outer space without mentioning the California-based 3D printing firm Made In Space. The organization has essentially become the right hand…
