NASA has decided to take 3 dimensional printing to space. Since delivering necessary items to space stations is a long, expensive and difficult process, NASA contracted a company called Made in Space to create a 3D printer that will work in zero gravity.

NASA has decided to take 3 dimensional printing to space.

Since delivering necessary items to space stations is a long, expensive and difficult process, NASA contracted a company called Made in Space to create a 3D printer that will work in zero gravity.

3D printers like Makerbot, which is around the same size as the Made in Space prototypes, use the gravity of Earth to drip plastic into different shapes.

Made is Space is trying to develop a printer that can not only operate in zero gravity, but can also use materials naturally found in space, like moon dust, as the basis for printing objects.

Aaron Kemmer, CEO and Co-Founder of Made in Space said: “3D printing and in-space manufacturing will dramatically change the way we look at space exploration, commercialization, and mission design today.”

Another company working on 3D printing in space is Tethers Unlimited, which is working together with NASA on a way to print and build all the parts of a space station from outside of the Earth’s atmosphere.

Accomplishing this would significantly reduce the cost of launching spacecrafts.