A new testing centre at University of Glasgow is simulating the conditions of outer space to help prevent 3D printed parts from becoming sources of high-speed orbital debris.
Housed at the university’s James Watt School of Engineering, the NextSpace Testrig lab is designed to assess whether materials like metals, polymers and ceramics can survive extreme space environments when printed aboard satellites or space stations.
The facility was developed by Dr. Gilles Bailet in partnership with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and funded by the UK Space Agency (UKSA), which contributed £253,000 through its Enabling Technology Programme.
“3D printing is a very promising technology for allowing us to build very complex structures directly in orbit instead of taking them into space on rockets. It could enable us to create a wide variety of devices, from lightweight communications antennas to solar reflectors to structural parts of spacecraft or even human habitats for missions to the Moon and beyond,” explained Dr. Bailet.
Testing printed materials under stress
As nations and private companies are working to print spacecraft components directly in space, researchers warn that even microscopic flaws in printed materials could pose serious risks. Under extreme temperatures and vacuum conditions, defects could cause printed parts to crack or shatter, sending fragments hurtling through orbit at thousands of kilometres per hour.
That debris would add to the growing cloud of space junk threatening satellites and space missions.
To tackle this, the new facility reproduces space-like conditions using a vacuum chamber that cycles between minus 150°C and plus 250°C. Inside, samples are subjected to intense pressure, up to 20 kilonewtons, to test their resilience. A rotating magazine system allows multiple samples to be tested in a single run.
According to the team, no other facility in the world currently offers this combination of environmental and mechanical testing for space-printed materials. Until now, 3D printers sent to orbit have operated under experimental conditions.
In doing so, astronauts have 3D printed parts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), leading the first metal 3D printed part in space being sent back on earth for testing recently. Although, little is known about how such objects would perform over time under thermal and structural stress.
Before the NextSpace Testrig, the university also developed a patented 3D printing system for low-gravity environments, successfully tested during European Space Agency (ESA) parabolic flights using granular feedstock.
Led by Dr. Bailet and supported by UKSA and Glasgow Knowledge Exchange Fund among others, the technology aims to enable on-demand space fabrication of structures and electronics, potentially enhancing solar power collection and pharmaceutical production in orbit, while reducing reliance on Earth-based payload launches and mitigating space debris risks.
“The NextSpace TestRig is open to academic colleagues, researchers and commercial clients from around the world,” said Dr. Bailet. The Glasgow team hopes its work will guide future regulations for in-space manufacturing and reduce the risks posed by fragile or flawed components.
Printing tech and tissue in space
Space manufacturing has a huge potential by using 3D printers to build parts in orbit, rather than launching them fully assembled from Earth.
Building on this, In-space manufacturing deep-tech startup Orbital Composites has been awarded a $1.7 million SBIR contract through the U.S. Space Force’s SpaceWERX Orbital Prime program, funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
Partnering with Axiom Space, Northrop Grumman, and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), the company is working to advance antenna systems for In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM). The initiative focuses on building antennas directly in orbit to support satellite-based cellular broadband and space-based solar power, with the goal of reducing costs and expanding commercial applications.
On the medical front, space system manufacturer Redwire successfully bioprinted a human knee meniscus aboard the ISS using its upgraded BioFabrication Facility. The tissue was cultured for 14 days in microgravity and returned to Earth with SpaceX’s Crew-6 Mission for analysis after printing in September 2023.
Conducted with the Uniformed Services University and NASA astronauts, this development aimed to improve treatment for meniscal injuries common among U.S. service members. The upgraded system enabled precise printing of bioink layers and long-term tissue culturing, with future applications targeting organ donor shortages and regenerative medicine.
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Featured image shows Dr. Gilles Bailet with the NextSpace TestRig. Photo via University of Glasgow.
