Reporters are invited to a media day on Friday, Feb. 19, at 10 a.m. PST at Made In Space, Inc. (MIS), located at NASA’s Research Park, at Moffett Field, California, to learn about the startup company’s recent proposal award as part of NASA’s “Utilizing Public-Private Partnerships to Advance Tipping Point Technologies” solicitation, issued through NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD).

Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for STMD, will share the importance of the solicitation and give remarks, followed by a tour of the MIS facilities. The two-hour event will include informal briefings with MIS leadership as they discuss their winning proposal.

The American-based company was the first to use a 3D printer on the International Space Station. Its project, “Versatile In-Space Robotic Precision Manufacturing and Assembly System,” was one of nine selected by STMD to mature technologies beyond their “tipping point.”

The goal of their selection is to develop mature technologies and qualify them for market, stimulating the commercial space industry while delivering technologies and capabilities needed for future NASA missions and commercial applications.

MIS leveraged NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, in which they received a Phase I and subsequent Phase II award. Their 3D printer’s success was a result of the SBIR program.

Interested members of the news media who wish to attend should contact Kimberly Williams at kimberly.k.williams@nasa.gov by 5 p.m. PST on Thursday, Feb. 18, for credentials.

For more information about NASA’s STMD, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech

For more information about NASA’s Ames Research Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ames