NASA is to use 3D-printed parts for the first time in outer space
NASA’s Orion spacecraft is set to use more than 100 3D-printed parts and will launch next year for a journey around the moon
By David Reid
NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which is set to launch next year for a journey around the moon, will mark the first time that a deep-space craft has been built using 3D-printed parts.
The space agency wants to conduct a new set of lunar missions, as well as exploration to other destinations including Mars. The Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) will send Orion, an un-crewed module, on a three-week voyage around the moon.
The Orion craft is set to use more than 100 3D-printed parts jointly engineered by Lockheed Martin, Stratasys, and Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies. It will be the first time that 3D parts have been certified for deep space use. Deep space, or outer space, represents the physical universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
Dr. Phil Reeves, vice president at Stratasys Strategic Consulting, said Tuesday that, thanks to the technology, the cost and complexity of space-ready components is tumbling.
“Those 100 parts might replace 500 or 600 parts, as the printed technology can be used to create complex geometrical shapes,” he said.