First Metal Part 3D Printed in Space

Airbus and its partners launched a technology demonstrator to the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this year. In August, the printer successfully produced the first  metal additive manufactured component in space. The four samples from the experiment, will return to Earth for analysis: two will go to the European Space Agency (ESA) technical center in the Netherlands, one to the astronaut training center in Cologne, and one to the Technical University of Denmark.

As missions to the Moon and Mars grow longer and farther from Earth, resupplying spacecraft becomes more challenging. Additive manufacturing in space provides autonomy for missions, allowing crews to create parts, repair equipment, and construct tools on demand. This technology demonstrator is the first to print metal components in microgravity, a significant advancement from prior plastic 3D printers on the ISS.