3D Printing

This is the first metal part ever 3D printed in space

ESA shows off product of technology demonstrator built by Airbus, deployed on ISS earlier this year.

(Image: ESA/NASA)

The European Space Agency (ESA) has produced the first metal part ever 3D printed in space, using a technology demonstrator built by Airbus Defence and Space SAS. ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen installed the payload in the European Drawer Rack of ESA’s Columbus module.

The additive product, along with three others planned for the remainder of the experiment, will return to Earth for quality analysis. Two of the samples will go to ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands (ESTEC), another will go to ESA’s astronaut training centre in Cologne (EAC) for use in the LUNA facility and the fourth will go to the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

According to a statement released by the ESA, additive manufacturing in space will give autonomy for future missions to the Moon and Mars, providing a solution to manufacture necessary parts, repair equipment or construct dedicated tools on demand, rather than relying on resupplies and redundancies.


ESA’s technology demonstrator is the first to successfully print a metal component in microgravity conditions. While the International Space Station has previously hosted plastic 3D printers, the energy demands, extreme temperatures and material volatility of metal additive manufacturing makes deploying the process in orbit significantly more challenging.

Written by

Ian Wright

Ian is a senior editor at engineering.com, covering additive manufacturing and 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing. Ian holds bachelors and masters degrees in philosophy from McMaster University and spent six years pursuing a doctoral degree at York University before withdrawing in good standing.