Picture: University of Glasgow
Researchers at the University of Glasgow have made significant progress towards orbital factories. Led by Dr Gilles Bailet, the team developed a 3D printing technology specifically optimized for use in microgravity. This technology could enable the production of components directly in space, overcoming the limitations of conventional rocket launches.
Dr. Bailet’s novel system uses a granular material instead of the usual filaments used in conventional 3D printers. This material has been specially developed to be reliably processed in microgravity and vacuum. During a series of tests as part of the 85th parabolic flight campaign of the European Space Agency (ESA), the prototype was able to prove its functionality under the extreme conditions of weightlessness. During so-called “Vomit Comet” flights, in which short periods of weightlessness are simulated, the team analyzed the dynamics and energy consumption of the system.
Dr Bailet said: “Currently, everything that goes into Earth’s orbit is built on the surface and sent into space on rockets. They have tightly limited mass and volumes and can shake themselves to pieces during launch when mechanical constraints are breached, destroying expensive cargo in the process. If instead we could place fabricators in space to build structures on demand, we would be freed from those payload restrictions. In turn, that could pave the way to creating much more ambitious, less resource-intensive projects, with systems actually optimised for their mission and not for the constraints of rocket launches.”
“Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is capable of producing remarkably complex materials quickly and at low cost. Putting that technology in space and printing what we need for assembly in orbit would be fantastically useful. However, what works well here on Earth is often less robust in the vacuum of space, and 3D printing has never been done outside of the pressurised modules of the International Space Station. The filaments in conventional 3D printers often break or jam in microgravity and in vacuum, which is a problem that needs to be solved before they can be reliably used in space. Through this research, we now have technology that brings us much closer to being able to do that, providing positive impacts for the whole world in the years to come.”
Another focus of the project is the integration of electronics during the printing process, which could enable the production of functional systems in space. The team is also involved in developing strategies to ensure that additive manufacturing in space does not contribute to an increase in space debris.
Dr Bailet added: “We’ve tested the technology extensively in the lab and now in microgravity, and we’re confident that it’s ready to perform as expected, opening up the possibility of 3D printing antenna and other spacecraft parts in space. 3D-printed space reflectors, like those being developed by my colleague Professor Colin McInnes’ SOLSPACE project, could gather energy from the sun 24 hours a day, helping us reach net-zero with an entirely new form of low-carbon power generation. Similarly, crystals grown in space are often larger and more well-ordered than those made on Earth, so orbital chemical factories could produce new or improved drugs for delivery back to the surface. It has been suggested, for example, that insulin grown in space could be nine times more effective, allowing diabetic people to inject it once every three days instead of three times a day, as they often have to do today.”
The project is supported by the University of Glasgow as well as funding from the UK Space Agency and other institutions. The aim is to enable an initial demonstration of the technology in space and thus create the basis for future applications.
