Picture: University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow has launched the NextSpace TestRig, a specialized facility designed to test materials intended for 3D printing in space under simulated orbital conditions. Developed by Dr. Gilles Bailet at the James Watt School of Engineering in collaboration with the Manufacturing Technology Centre, the system enables the structural testing of polymers, ceramics, and metals under extreme temperature cycles and vacuum conditions. The project was funded with approximately £253,000 through the UK Space Agency’s Enabling Technology Programme.
Dr Bailet said: “3D printing is a very promising technology for allowing us to build very complex structures directly in orbit instead of taking them into space on rockets. It could enable us to create a wide variety of devices, from lightweight communications antennas to solar reflectors to structural parts of spacecraft or even human habitats for missions to the Moon and beyond.“However, the potential also comes with significant risk, which will be magnified if efforts to start 3D printing in space are rushed out instead of being properly tested. Objects move very fast in orbit, and if a piece of a poorly-made structure breaks off it will end up circling the Earth with the velocity of a rifle bullet. If it hits another object like a satellite or a spacecraft, it could cause catastrophic damage, as well as increase the potential of cascading problems as debris from any collisions cause further damage to other objects.
The facility focuses on ensuring the safety of components manufactured directly in orbit using additive techniques. The goal is to reduce the need to launch complete structures from Earth by producing parts on demand in space. While experiments with 3D printers aboard the International Space Station have already taken place, no comparable testing infrastructure has existed to verify the durability of such materials under real-world orbital stress.
The NextSpace TestRig can apply up to 20 kilonewtons of force to test material strength while also exposing samples to thermal fluctuations from –150 to +250 degrees Celsius. An automated magazine system enables sequential testing of multiple samples within a single run.
“The NextSpace TestRig is open to academic colleagues, researchers and commercial clients from around the world to help them ensure that any materials they plan to 3D print in space will work safely. We also expect that the data we’ll be gathering in the years to come, which can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world at the moment, will help regulatory authorities to make safety standards for in-space manufacturing, informed by real-world testing.”He added: “We expect that the NextSpace TestRig will be of real use to the UK space industry in the years to come. Glasgow is already a centre of excellence for space technology – companies here manufacture the most satellites in the world outside the west coast of the USA. Our facility will help augment the capabilities of future spacecraft assembled in orbit, ensuring that the UK space sector can be more competitive internationally.”
The collected data will be made available to industry, academia, and regulatory authorities alike to support the development of future safety standards. The long-term objective is to ensure that additive manufacturing in space becomes both safe and viable.
Iain Hughes, Head of the National Space Innovation Programme at the UK Space Agency said: “We are proud to have supported the University of Glasgow in developing the world’s first facility for testing 3D-printed materials in space-like conditions. This innovation will help to drive UK advancements in space manufacturing, unlocking numerous benefits and meeting the government’s growth ambitions while ensuring safe and sustainable space use.”