Two new in-space manufacturing research missions were recently deployed into low Earth orbit. The missions, MakerSat-1 and Orbital Factory 2, are each housed in 1U CubeSats (10x10x10cm). MakerSat-1 is studying the degradation of common 3D printer plastics in space, and Orbital Factory 2 is demonstrating 3D printing of conductive material, simulating a solder joint repair on a solar array while in microgravity.
Read MoreImagine a future of transplant organs customized for each recipient, available on-demand. Instead of waiting for an organ from a donor, which could possibly take years and lead to your death due to rejection, a replacement organ could be 3D printed exactly for you. While we are not able to 3D print full organs yet, the 3D BioFabrication Facility (BFF) successfully printed a large volume of human heart cells while aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and had them recently returned to Earth.
Read MoreSpace manufacturing has been on the horizon for decades without success. However one major hurdle past efforts failed to overcome was obtaining regular and affordable access to low Earth orbit. This capability was expected to be provided by the space shuttle, though it never materialized. In recent years, however, the problem has been reduced due to a rapidly growing set of commercial launch providers. Because of this change, space manufacturing has the potential to rapidly become a reality.
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