Develop and enable the technologies, materials, and processes required to provide affordable, sustainable on-demand manufacturing, recycling, and repair during Exploration Missions

Edmunson, Jennifer E.

Elrod, Leigh M.

Gelmis, Jennifer E.

Hall, Phillip B.

Hill, Curtis W.

Prater, Tracie J.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

ISM
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
OBJECTIVE: To develop the technologies 
and processes which will enable 
on-demand manufacturing capability 
during long-duration space missions.
For long-duration space travel to be feasible, it is 
crucial for there to be a paradigm shift in the design 
and manufacturing of space architectures. In-Space 
Manufacturing (ISM) is a program which seeks to develop 
technologies for these exploration missions. ISM can 
provide on-demand fabrication, repair, and recycling 
for critical systems, habitats, and mission logistics and 
maintenance (both in-transit and on-surface). This can 
provide cost savings by decreasing launch mass. Risk 
is reduced by decreasing the need for pre-produced 
spares and/or over-designing systems for reliability. ISM is 
developing these capabilities by using new technologies 
being developed terrestrially and modifying them for 
use in the space environment. The International Space 
Station (ISS) serves as a one-of-a-kind test bed on the ISM 
technology development roadmap.
 
ISM has a task portfolio which will develop manufacturing 
and recycling systems and processes that will allow 
on-demand production of a wide array of parts and 
components. The ISM motto is “Make It, Don’t Take It!”  
The project is led out of the Space Technology Mission 
Directorate (STMD) Game Changing Development (GCD) 
Office with Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) acting as 
the lead Center.
In-Space
Manufacturing
ISM Digital Design and Verification Database 
(HEOMD AES Funded)
This task is led by Human Exploration and Operations Mission 
Directorate (HEOMD) Advanced Exploration Systems (AES). The 
candidate parts/systems for on-demand manufacturing must be 
identified and designed for 3D printing processes and materials. 
Whereas the printing technologies focus on “HOW” to make what 
is needed, a design database including vetted parts/systems for 
on-demand manufacturing on-orbit must be developed to define 
“WHAT” needs to be made. This database includes the design file 
or “blueprint” for the part to be fabricated, as well as all relevant 
data such as materials, process parameters, and inspection/
verification criteria which will ultimately result in a Catalog of 
approved parts for on-orbit fabrication and use. The database 
also allows redesign of existing parts, analysis of those redesigns, 
and manufacturing execution management through inspection, 
allowing a “build record” 
to be developed and 
saved for each produced 
part. This activity also 
involves the development 
of new multi-material 
parts including polymers, 
composites, metals, 
and electronics.
CANS
The Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) Dual Use Technology 
Development at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is 
a way for In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) to use new technology 
development to meet specific needs of ISM through technology 
partnerships. ISM has utilized this program over the past few 
years to perform collaborative research with leading universities 
in specific areas such as supercapacitor development for energy 
storage, harvesting of WiFi for power generation, development 
of sensors for Structural Health Monitoring and stress sensing 
for Astronaut Crew Health, and for development of innovative 
manufacturing processes needed for In Space Manufacturing 
such as laser sintering of new materials.
Summary
The NASA In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) Project managed out of 
the Marshall Space Flight Center is working to provide capabili-
ties for on-demand sustainable manufacturing, repair, and recy-
cling operations during NASA Exploration Missions (transit and 
on-surface). One of ISM’s main goals is a “Make it, Don’t take it” 
approach.  This includes testing and improving the technologies, 
as well as establishing the required skills, and processes that 
will allow it to become an industry standard.
For more information contact:
Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Office of Communications
256-544-0034
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, AL 35812
www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall
www.nasa.gov  
 NP-2019-11-083-MSFC    G-532938
ISM Design Database Development 
Life Support Systems Retaining Plate 
(Left); Logistics Reduction Urine 
Funnels (Right)
EM
Waves
PRF PRec
Antenna
Rectenna
Matching Rectier Filter
EMI/WiFi Power Harvesting
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20190033503 2020-03-11T16:19:38+00:00Z
In-Space Manufacturing Technology 
and Material Development 
3D Printing in Zero-G Technology Demonstration
The 3D Printing in Zero-G ISS Technology Demonstration was 
the first time that Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) was 
performed in space, and was performed under a Small Business 
Innovative Research (SBIR) with Made In Space, Inc. (MIS). The 
samples were fabricated using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 
of polymers and were returned to NASA’s 
MSFC where they underwent extensive 
testing, along with the ground-printed 
controls, to assess if there were any 
differences in the parts produced in 
microgravity from those manufactured 
on earth. Results indicated that there is 
no significant impact of microgravity on 
the fused deposition modeling process. 
Additional testing further validated these 
findings. 
Additive Manufacturing Facility 
The Additive Manufacturing Facility 
(AMF) started under a NASA SBIR 
with MIS. The AMF was installed on 
the ISS in April 2016 and provides a 
commercial 3D printing capability to 
customers through the ISS National 
Laboratory and the Center for the 
Advancement of Science in Space 
(CASIS).NASA uses AMF through an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite 
Quantity (IDIQ) contract. 
Multi-Material Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) 
The Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) project seeks to develop 
a larger scale space station facility for multi-material 
manufacturing which also include inspection capabilities.  
Systems must fit into an EXPRESS rack and are limited to peak 
power consumption of 2000 Watts, a weight of 260 kg, and a 
volume of 0.45 cubic meters. The phase A effort is focused on 
development of ground-based prototype systems and technology 
demonstration.  Subsequent efforts will mature the FabLab 
system to a flight demonstration on ISS, which includes 3D 
printing of metals on-orbit, in the early 2020s.  
In-Space Manufacturing SBIRs 
Common Use Materials SBIRs 
Logistics analyses show the dramatic impact of a recycling 
capability for reducing initial launch mass requirements for 
long-duration missions. Current packaging materials for 
ISS represent a broad spectrum of polymers such as low 
density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylne (HDPE), 
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Nylon, and polyvinyl chloride 
(PVC). ISM is collaborating with ISS packaging and Logistics 
Reductions teams to identify materials and processes to provide 
common use materials that can initially be used for packaging 
and then recycled into useable feedstock for fabrication of parts 
during missions. Under a small business innovative research 
(SBIR) contract, Tethers Unlimited Inc. developed Customizable 
Recyclable ISS Packaging (CRISSP), which is a recyclable foam 
packaging made from thermoplastic materials using FDM. The 
packaging is created with custom infill profiles for the foam to 
yield specific vibration characteristics or mechanical properties. 
Cornerstone Research Group (CRG) developed a Polyethylene-
based thermally reversible material which can be processed 
into films and foams and recycled into filament for 3D printing. 
The RVT material developed by CRG has strength and modulus 
values comparable to or exceeding base thermoplastic materials 
while maintaining a viscosity that is compatible with fused 
filament fabrication (FFF) systems.
Vulcan SBIR:
The Vulcan effort from Made in Space (MIS) uses a welding 
process to additively manufacture parts. The wire-fed process 
is compatible with virtually every aerospace grade metal 
material available in the form of welding wire. In a phase 
II-E effort, MIS is developing an integrated, ground-based 
prototype of Vulcan which includes the following subsystems: 
the additive manufacturing unit, a CNC mill for finish machining, 
an environmental control unit to manage and collect all chip 
debris, a polymer manufacturing head based on the Additive 
Manufacturing Facility (AMF), and a robotic capability to flip the 
part for machining and remove it from the build plate.
 
Left image is the rendering of the Vulcan Unit payload in a 
double locker and the Right image is an example of a metal 
part produced with the system. Images from Made in Space. 
AMARU SBIR:
AMARU from MIS is an In Situ Monitoring and Process Control 
capability which will be integrated into the Vulcan system. 
AMARU integrates advanced sensor technology with a real-time 
data stream for part production analysis.
Multi-Material Fabrication with Printed 
Electronics
The objective of the Multi-Material Fabrication with Printed 
Electronics (MMF-PE) task is to develop materials and processes 
for on-demand printing of multiple functional materials, including 
printed electronics, in microgravity conditions. These materials 
include functional materials such as titanium and aluminum, 
as well as polymers and a wide array of electronic inks. This 
enables fabrication of hybrid parts/components, including 
embedded electronics, which in turn greatly increases the range 
of applications and uses for on-demand part production during 
long-duration space missions. The current areas of focus for 
Multi-Material Fabrication with Printed Electronics applications 
include: Advanced sensors for  Astronaut Crew Health and 
Structural Health Monitoring, Radio-frequency Identification 
(RFID) Sensing, and Energy Storage & Power Generation. 
A new, advanced flexible wireless multi-sensor wearable device 
is being developed and fabricated with 3D on-demand printing, 
for monitoring of astronaut crew health. This device will utilize 
a full range of on-demand 3D multi-material printing processes, 
new materials, and advanced sensors being developed by the 
ISM MMF-PE team.
Numerous collaborations with universities are helping the 
MMF-PE team develop a range of new technologies in printed 
supercapacitors for energy storage, power harvesting from Wi-Fi, 
new 3D printed electronic antennas, new biosensors, 
and advanced laser sintering processing techniques.
The technologies being developed and patented by the ISM 
MMF-PE team are being used by a number of companies eval-
uating commercial applications of the technologies. The science 
of In-Space Manufacturing will become the science of American 
industry in the coming years, as on-demand 3D multi-material 
printing of multiple materials becomes established in space.
Left image is a Flexible Sensor Board with High-Speed 
Bluetooth Low-Energy Communications and Right 
image is a Flexible Interposer Board with Die-mounted 
Microprocessor
Commander Butch
Wilmore holds
3D printed
container on ISS
ISS Additive 
Manufacturing Facility 


ISM In-Space Manufacturing

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