Why in-space manufacturing matters for future missions

Every kilogram sent into orbit comes at considerable cost. Although launch costs have fallen an estimated 96%  since 1960, transporting materials into space remains one of the greatest barriers to long-term exploration and commercialisation. Traditionally, every tool, spare part and structural component required for a mission has had to be designed, manufactured and launched from Earth, placing huge financial and logistical burden on mission planning.

As human activity in space expands beyond the International Space Station (ISS) and Tiangong Space Station (TSS) and towards lunar bases and eventually crewed missions to Mars, this approach becomes increasingly impractical. Instead of transporting everything required from Earth, future spacecraft and colonies may manufacture many of the components they need on demand. Additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, is seen as being a key enabling technology for this shift. What was once science fiction is rapidly becoming a focus of research and commercial development.

What is additive manufacturing in space?

Additive manufacturing builds components layer by layer from a digital design using a raw material, such as a thermoplastic or metal. The technology is already widely used on Earth to produce complex components with minimal material waste, making it particularly attractive for space applications where every kilogram of payload is valuable.

Why manufacture in space?

Aside from the cost, long-duration space missions place significant demands on logistics and supply chains. While the ISS operates only around 400 km above Earth, delivering replacement equipment still requires dedicated launch capacity, extensive planning and significant risk. For future lunar outposts and Mars missions, resupply may be infrequent or impractical.

At the same time, launch vehicles impose strict limits on the mass and volume of payloads. Spacecraft designers must carefully balance the need for spare parts, scientific equipment and life-support systems within these constraints. Payload capacity is therefore a scarce resource.

As governments and commercial operators pursue longer missions and more ambitious infrastructure projects, reducing reliance on Earth-based supply chains is becoming an increasingly important objective. This has driven growing interest in technologies capable of manufacturing parts, tools and structures directly in space.

Reduced launch mass: rather than launching large inventories of spare components, spacecraft could carry raw printing materials and manufacture replacement parts only when required. Future systems may also recycle waste plastic into new printing feedstock, further reducing dependence on Earth-based resupply.

On-demand repairs: the ability to manufacture replacement parts during a mission could significantly improve operational resilience. Instead of waiting for a resupply mission, astronauts may be able to print replacement components or bespoke tools to address unexpected maintenance tasks.

Larger space structures: manufacturing directly in orbit could enable structures that are simply too large to launch from Earth. Redwire’s Archinaut programme, for example, aims to use robotic additive manufacturing to produce large truss structures and other spacecraft components after launch that  ordinarily would have to fit into the launch vehicle.

Building beyond Earth: researchers are investigating the use of local resources such as lunar regolith to manufacture landing pads, radiation shielding and habitats. Known as in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU), this approach could reduce the amount of construction material that must be launched from Earth and support future lunar exploration.

While many of the benefits of in-space manufacturing relate to logistics, the unique conditions of the space environment can also enable entirely new manufacturing capabilities. Over time, we may see this impact additive manufacturing specifically.

Improved material properties: microgravity can enable the manufacture of materials with properties that are difficult or impossible to achieve on Earth. One example is ZBLAN, a heavy metal fluoride glass used to produce optical fibres. On Earth, gravity-driven convection during manufacture can lead to crystallisation and other defects that increase signal loss. In microgravity, these effects are significantly reduced, allowing higher-quality fibres to be produced with improved optical performance.

Container-less processing: microgravity also enables container-less processing, in which materials are melted and solidified without contacting a container. On Earth, molten materials typically require a crucible, which can introduce impurities or trigger unwanted crystallisation. In space, electromagnetic, electrostatic or acoustic levitation can suspend the material during processing, reducing contamination and enabling the production of higher-purity metals, glasses and other advanced materials with reduced impurities or changed properties.

Engineering challenges of additive manufacturing in microgravity

Adapting terrestrial manufacturing processes for microgravity presents significant engineering challenges.

One of the most fundamental differences is the behaviour of molten material. On Earth, buoyancy-driven thermal convection redistributes heat within the melt pool and influences solidification. In microgravity, these convection currents are largely absent, while surface tension and capillary forces become dominant. This alters melt pool dynamics, droplet formation, wetting and layer adhesion, thereby affecting the microstructure and mechanical properties of printed components. As a result, manufacturing processes developed for Earth cannot simply be transferred to space.

Thermal management also becomes more challenging. Without atmospheric convection, heat is removed primarily through thermal conduction and radiation, leading to different cooling rates and temperature gradients. Careful control of heat transfer is essential to minimise stresses, distortion and defects in printed parts.

Material handling presents further difficulties, particularly for metal additive manufacturing. Loose powders are difficult to contain and distribute in microgravity, making process stability and contamination control more challenging. Consequently, alternative approaches such as wire-fed systems, together with advanced process monitoring and autonomous control, are being developed to improve the reliability of in-space manufacture.

Latest advances in in-space additive manufacturing

Several organisations have already demonstrated important milestones towards manufacturing beyond Earth.

For example, the feasibility of the technology was first demonstrated in 2014 aboard the ISS, where a NASA astronaut used Redwire’s printer to print an extruder faceplate for the printer itself.

Since then, the Redwire additive manufacturing facility (AMF) has been permanently installed on the ISS, which supports printing using multiple aerospace-grade polymers. The AMF is a commercial platform, and any organisation or institution can purchase print time. 
Most recently, ESA in collaboration with Airbus have successfully been testing the first metal 3D printer aboard the ISS.

These projects illustrate a transition from printing simple replacement parts towards a broader ambition for manufacturing more complex components and structures beyond Earth.

Patent trends and outlook

Although manufacturing in space remains at an early stage of development, progress over the past decade has been significant. The growing interest in this technology is reflected in both scientific research and patent activity. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), scientific publications relating to additive manufacturing in space have significantly increased since 2016, while the number of published patent families quadrupled between 2014 and 2023. Although patenting activity remains modest compared with more established manufacturing technologies, the rapid increase suggests that the field is moving from experimental research towards commercial deployment.

Key patent considerations for companies developing space manufacturing tech

As commercial activity in space expands, protecting innovation through patents is likely to become increasingly important. Indeed, the greatest value may lie not in the printer or printed component, but in the enabling technologies that make reliable production possible, particularly where innovations span multiple disciplines or have applications across both terrestrial and space-based manufacturing. For example, competitive advantage may instead lie in the autonomous control systems, qualification methods, process monitoring, digital manufacturing workflows and materials technologies that enable reliable manufacture in the space environment. Patent strategies should therefore focus on where innovation truly resides, provide suitable protection for a digital supply chain, and support dual use on Earth and space by providing in-space examples and avoiding unnecessarily limiting claims to Earth-specific operating conditions.

Companies developing enabling technologies should therefore consider their intellectual property strategy at an early stage. Those that establish strong patent positions around key technologies will be well-placed to benefit from the continued growth of the emerging space economy.

Useful links

• Oxford Academic, PNAS NEXUS, From Sputnik to Starship - Estimating the experience curve of space launch technology: https://dycip.com/space-launch-tech-curve  
• ESA, Advanced Manufacturing: https://dycip.com/esa-advanced-manufacturing 
• ESA, 3D-printed metal - unlocking crew autonomy: https://dycip.com/esa-3d-printed-metal  
• NASA, Additive Manufacturing: https://dycip.com/esa-additive-manufacturing   
• Redwire, Additive Manufacturing Facility: 3D Printing the Future in Space: https://dycip.com/redwire-amf