ESA: First 3D printing of metal parts on the ISS

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Airbus have jointly achieved a significant advance in space technology. For the first time, a metal part has been produced using a 3D printer on the International Space Station (ISS). This breakthrough could significantly increase the autonomy of crews on future long-term missions.

At the beginning of the year, ESA brought its 3D metal printer, a technology demonstrator, to the ISS. There, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen installed the device in the European Drawer Rack Mark II of the Columbus module. This was followed in August by the first successful print of a metallic 3D object in space.

ESA is planning a total of four test prints. The researchers will then bring the samples back to Earth for quality analysis. Two samples will be sent to the ESA Technical Centre in the Netherlands (ESTEC), one to the Astronaut Training Centre in Cologne (EAC) for the LUNA facility and the last to the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

With a view to future missions to the moon and Mars, the ability to autonomously manufacture spare parts and tools is becoming increasingly important. 3D printing in space offers a promising solution for this and at the same time reduces dependence on costly resupply missions.

Although the ISS already has plastic 3D printers, the ESA technology demonstrator is the first to successfully produce a metal part under microgravity conditions. Airbus and its partners played a key role in its development. Cranfield University in the UK designed the melting process, hardware, laser source, optics and feed system. Meanwhile, the French space agency CNES monitored the printing processes from its control centre.