Astronauts Manufacture First Metal Part on the International Space Station | Space

In a groundbreaking advancement for space exploration, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have successfully 3D-printed a metal part in space for the first time.

This achievement marks a major milestone in the development of in-orbit manufacturing capabilities, essential for supporting long-duration and long-distance space missions. By enabling astronauts to create metal components on demand, this new technology has the potential to revolutionize how space missions are equipped and sustained, especially as humanity sets its sights on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

The Challenges of 3D Printing Metal in Microgravity

While 3D printing has been used in space before, it has largely been limited to producing objects from plastic filaments. Although plastic parts serve important functions, they lack the durability, mechanical strength, and heat resistance required for certain critical components. Metal parts, on the other hand, provide the necessary robustness for machinery and tools that need to withstand the harsh conditions of space travel. However, 3D printing metal in microgravity presents a series of challenges that are not encountered on Earth, where gravity helps position materials during the printing process.

In microgravity, the molten metal used as the filament in 3D printing behaves unpredictably. Without the stabilizing force of…