NASA successfully installed the world’s first zero-gravity 3D printer on the International Space Station (ISS) to help astronauts experiment with additive manufacturing in microgravity.
NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore installed the 3D printer, designed and built by Made In Space, inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) on the ISS.
The >printer was launched in September aboard the SpaceX 4 resupply mission to the ISS.
“This is a very exciting day for me and the rest of the team. We had to conquer many technical challenges to get the 3D printer to this stage,” said Mike Snyder, lead engineer of California-based startup Made in Space, in a statement.
The goal of the 3D Printing in Zero-G technology demonstration is an experiment to explore the use of additive manufacturing technology as a reliable platform for sustained in-space manufacturing.
The >@Space_Station gets ready for >#3Dprinting & preps for new trio launching on Nov. 23: >http://t.co/UR3T4W6zBT>#ISS>pic.twitter.com/y7FyW7e64q
— NASA (@NASA) >November 17, 2014
The first phase of printing will include, among other things, a series of engineering test coupons which will be returned to Earth for analysis and compared to control samples which were made with the same 3D printer while it was at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville, Alabama, prior to launch.
“This experiment has been an advantageous first stepping stone to the future ability to manufacture a large portion of materials and equipment in space that has been traditionally launched from Earth surface, which will completely change our methods of exploration,” said Mr. Snyder.
The science collected from this printer will directly feed into the commercial printer flying up in 2015, which will enable a fast and cost-effective way for people to get hardware to space.
