Thanks to these efforts, 3D printing has become both user-friendly and rapid. The range of printable materials has expanded significantly, from various plastics and metals to even chocolate! The immense progress of this technology is going into a new era of manufacturing, in environments vastly different from ours on Earth, such as printing in space.

Science Fiction or Fact

Imagine how much easier things would have been if The Martian’s protagonist Mark Watney had a 3D printer on Mars! He could have printed all the equipment needed to grow potatoes in Martian soil, while waiting for NASA's relief supplies to arrive. Even without this drama, missions to the International Space Station (ISS) can last up to a full year, to conduct experiments that are difficult to be performed on Earth. Currently, there are seven astronauts aboard the ISS, with five supply missions launched so far to deliver essentials, such as food, water, and equipment. As the crew size increases, the need for more supplies and transport vehicles scales accordingly; yet, what if there were a way to provide more resources for the astronauts with fewer launches?

No Gravity, No Worries

Space agencies are racing to conduct unconventional experiments aboard the ISS to break the constraints of living on Earth and to research 3D printing technology in microgravity—areas in space where the force of gravity is so weak that objects float. These experiments began on Earth as part of a NASA-funded project to use a 3D printer during specific flights that simulate weightlessness. The goal is to use a printer capable of printing semiconductors, enabling it to manufacture electronic circuit boards, sensors, amongst other components despite their small size.

 
Masoud Mahjouri-Samani and researchers testing 3D printer in zero gravity. Credit: Auburn Uniersity.

Building on efforts to print using various materials, such as metal, a team of ESA scientists aboard the ISS has successfully printed the first metal object. This helps in the production of equipment needed by astronauts for research or replacement parts for the station itself.

Lunar Homes and Human Organs

We can now print metals and electronics in space; yet, what about lunar or Martian colony habitats and human tissue to ensure our survival? Experiments have already begun using 3D printers to produce muscle tissue  in microgravity, which is actually easier than printing it on Earth. As for the colonies, efforts are still underway to establish an integrated construction system that accounts for lunar or Martian gravity. This involves utilizing lunar soil in 3D printers to create a material similar to waterless concrete.

While it may seem like science fiction, the ongoing race between the United States of America and China to return to the Moon through lunar exploration missions—such as Artemis III in mid-2027—suggests that it will become a reality soon.

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