ESA Looks to Build New Home in Space with Off-Earth Manufacturing

by Architecture

Activities are set to intensify in 2022, as we get closer to the date (2024) that ESA and NASA have planned for humanity’s return to the Moon. The ESA Discovery program has been supporting groups from industry and academia to develop technologies for off-Earth manufacturing. Last November, a public online symposium presented their latest results and highlighted which technologies are most promising for maturing further towards integration into future space missions.

Artemis Generation Students Design 3D Printed Lunar PAD for Future Moon Aissions

Artemis Generation Students Design 3D Printed Lunar PAD for Future Moon Aissions

by Architecture

A team of undergraduate students from 10 colleges and universities across the United States – members of the Artemis Generation designed a reusable landing pad that could be 3D printed from materials found on the Moon. The novel concept – called the Lunar Plume Alleviation Device, or Lunar PAD – focuses on solving the problems caused when the force of an engine’s powerful exhaust meets the dusty lunar surface.

nScrypt Has 3D Bioprinted a Human Knee Meniscus in Space

nScrypt Has 3D Bioprinted a Human Knee Meniscus in Space

by Medical

Microdispensing specialist nScrypt and aerospace company TechShot have successfully completed the first functional 3D bioprinting experiment in space. Using the BioFabrication Facility (BFF) on board the ISS, with the help of the non-profit Geneva Foundation and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), they 3D bioprinted a human knee meniscus as part of the 4D Bio3 program. The breakthrough experiment is part of a long term plan to one day manufacture advanced soft tissues and whole organs in the microgravity of space.