Astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) used ESA’s metal 3D printer to forge the first metal part made entirely in space.
The achievement was part of a collaboration between ESA and Airbus aimed at building up Europe's space manufacturing capabilities and could represent a step towards greater autonomy for long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
“C“The on-demand provision of spare parts, components and tools will be crucial for long-range, long-duration missions,” said Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA’s Director of Manned and Robotic Exploration.
Built by Airbus, the 180 kg printer can be used to repair or manufacture tools, assembly interfaces and mechanical parts. It can print parts with a volume of nine centimeters high and five centimeters wide, with the process taking about 40 hours.
The 3D metal printer was installed in the Columbus module of the ISS by ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen earlier this year. And now it has produced its first metal component in microgravity.
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3D printing of metal in space
Unlike previous plastic-based 3D printing processes on board the ISS, these demonstration models show that it is possible to produce durable, high-strength parts in space. However, metal printing in space is not a problem.
Metal 3D printers on Earth are usually the size of a small room. However, Airbus engineers had to shrink the space printer to the size of a washing machine to fit into the tight confines of the ISS. They also had to install the printer in a sealed metal safe-like box to to ensure that the ISS was protected from the extreme heat generated during metal printing.
“Gravity control is also crucial, which is why we chose wire-based printing technology. The wire is independent of gravity, unlike the powder-based system, which always has to fall to the ground,” said Sébastien Girault, systems engineer for metal 3D printers at Airbus, Beginning of the year.
The astronauts on board the ISS will send the printed part and three other planned components to Earth for analysis at ESA's technical centers and research facilities across Europe.
Space autonomy
As humanity ventures deeper into space, the ability to 3D print critical tools, spare parts, and even entire structures could make long-term missions more realistic.
For example, NASA and ESA are developing a 3D printing technology that uses local resources such as lunar regolith to build space objects, thereby reducing the transport of materials from Earth.
Projects like Moonriseunder the leadership of the German Space Agency and NASA Olympus aim to build entire structures on the Moon and Mars for long-term space colonization.
In 2022, NASA awarded 3D printing startup Icon a $57 million contract to further develop Construction technologies that could help build infrastructure such as landing pads, habitats and roads on the lunar surface.
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