3D Printing

Millennium Space to launch to orbit a 3D printed satellite structure
Millennium Space Systems plans to launch to orbit a 3D printed metal flight structure the company intends to use to build its next generation of satellite buses.

Boeing increases use of 3D printing to speed up production of WGS military satellite
Boeing is 3D printing more than a thousand parts for WGS-11+, a new communications satellite it is producing for the U.S. Space Force

Reaching the tipping point for 3D printing satellites
The number of 3D-printed parts on board satellites is growing amid advances in additive manufacturing. But how close is the industry to 3D printing entire satellites?

Nikon snaps up Boeing-backed supplier of 3D-printed satellite parts
Japanese camera maker Nikon has acquired a controlling stake in U.S. startup Morf3D, an aerospace supplier that has produced 3D-printed hardware for Boeing satellites and helicopters.

Orbex commissions 3D printer capable of producing 35+ rocket engines a year
On the heels of raising $24 million in December, Orbex announced Feb. 24 that it has commissioned AMCM to build a large-volume 3D printer for manufacturing its rocket engines.

2010-2019: The decade in space
It was a decade of enormous change. When it began, SpaceX was on the ropes, cubesats were teaching tools, NASA’s lunar ambitions were back on hold and no one in Washington was calling for a Space Force.

Space hardware manufacturers urge realistic expectations for 3D printing
Space hardware builders say they fully expect 3D printing to revolutionize manufacturing, but cautioned that the technology is sometimes promoted without a full understanding of its pros and cons.

Supply chain expands to meet demand for 3D-printed space parts
It’s not clear whether the additive manufacturing supply chain will expand rapidly enough to meet growing demand for 3D-printed parts for spacecraft or launch vehicles.

Navy’s 3D printing project promises big payoffs for aerospace and defense manufacturing
The aerospace industry is making huge investments in additive manufacturing but producing parts that can pass quality tests in government programs, for instance, remains a challenge.

New version of Aerojet’s RL10 upper-stage engine to be almost entirely 3D printed
Years of Pentagon and NASA investments in nontraditional manufacturing technology appear to be paying off as government contractors step up the use of 3D printed components in space systems.