NASA cleared a 3D printer Thursday to be launched from the International Space Station (ISS) for a microgravity mission.
The printer will be launched in a small cube in August as part of the SpaceX CRS-4 Dragon vehicle's resupply mission payload, according to Discovery News.
The 3D printer was created by tech startup Made in Space, which partnered with NASA for the project, TIME reported. The printer was designed to work in zero gravity to make small parts, crew tools, and components of cubesats, mini satellite that are used for research.
The device will help the ISS depend less on resupply ships for materials, which could not only reduce costs for transportation, but also improve safety.
The printer is designed to print solid objects layer by layer with extrusion-based additive manufacturing techniques. The machine will initially print 21 demonstration parts, which include parts, tools and test coupons. Project engineers will carefully analyze the process through an HD video link.
"Years of research and development have taught us that there were many problems to solve to make Additive Manufacturing work reliably in microgravity," said Michael Snyder, lead engineer and director of R&D for Made in Space. "Now, having found viable solutions, we can welcome a great change - the ability to manufacture on-demand in space is going to be a paradigm shift for the way development, research, and exploration happen in space."
NASA first announced its plans to launch a 3D printer into space in September. The space agency said it wanted to hold a series of tests for the printer to make sure it would work in space. These precautions include making sure it could handle the force of takeoff and electrical checks.
The ISS will build the Additive Manufacturing Facility, a permanent 3D printing station, once the printer has produced satisfying results from testing in space.
