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Manufacturing

Factories in orbit offer two features not available on the surface of the Earth: microgravity and the potential for a high quality vacuum. For these reasons, orbital manufacturing may allow products that are harder or impossible to manufacture on the surface 1.

Problem:
Need for Manufactured Goods
Solution:
Demonstrate Orbital Manufacturing

Space Station Economics

A 2018 analysis found that a private space station would be economically profitable only under optimistic outcomes for both the cost and revenue of the station.

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Source: Crane et al. 2.

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Source: Crane et al. 2.

The partners of the International Space Station have identified several values created by the ISS: technology advancement and spinoffs, Earth observation, scientific advancement, building industries related to space, and education 3. However, it is difficult to quantify the economic value of these contributions and compare it to the cost.

ZBLAN Fiber Optics

ZBLAN (zirconium, barium, lanthanum, aluminum, sodium) is a type of glass that can be used to manufacture fiber optics with significantly lower optical loss than conventional fiber optics. Manufacturing ZBLAN fibers at scale requires a microgravity environment than can be attained at an orbital factory 4.

The manufacture of ZBLAN has been demonstrated on parabolic flights, and orbital demonstration is necessary to prove the viability of the concept 5.

Replacement Organs

The bioprinting of tissue or organs may also benefit from a microgravity environment 6. There is a shortage of organs available for transplant, and the shortage causes an estimated 7000 deaths in the United States per year 7. Aside from terrestrial use, orbital bioprinting is of interest to support astronaut health on longer missions 89.

Similar technology is of interest to produce synthetic meat. Due to the cost of transporting it to Earth, the meat would most likely be for astronauts rather than terrestrial humans 8.

Other Products

Beyond ZBLAN fiber optics, a microgravity environment may help manufacture a range of materials, including metal-organic frameworks, ceramics, semiconductors, metamaterials, multiphase materials, and superalloys that could not be manufactured in an environment with gravity 10.

References

  1. Allman, C. "Repurposing the International Space Station". The University of Texas at Austin: Texas ScholarWorks. December 2020. ↩

  2. Crane, K. W., Corbin, B. A., Lal, B., Buenconsejo, R. S., Piskorz, D., Weigel, A. L. "Market Analysis of a Privately Owned and Operated Space Station". Science & Technology Policy Institute. ↩ ↩2

  3. Robinson, J., Costello, K. "International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, Third Edition". National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA), European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), State Space Corporation ROSCOSMOS (ROSCOSMOS), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). 2018. ↩

  4. Kasap, H. "Exotic Glass Fibers From Space: The Race to Manufacture ZBLAN". ISS National Laboratory: Center for the Advancement of Science in Space. December 2018. ↩

  5. Moraguez, M. T. "Technology development targets for commercial In-Space Manufacturing". Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2018. ↩

  6. Sun, W., Starly, B., Daly, A. C., Burdick, J. A., Groll, J., Skeldon, G., Shu, W., Sakai, Y., Shinohara, M., Nishikawa, M. "The bioprinting roadmap". Biofabrication 12(2): 022002. February 2020. ↩

  7. IHPL. "Part 1 of Addressing the Organ Shortage Crises in America: Increasing the Organ Donor Registration". Loma Linda University Health. June 2019. ↩

  8. Fang, Y., Guo, Y., Liu, T., Xu, R., Mao, S., Mo, X., Zhang, T., Ouyang, L., Xiong, Z., Sun, W. "Advances in 3D Bioprinting". Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering: Additive Manufacturing Frontiers 1(1): 100011. March 2022. ↩ ↩2

  9. Ghidini, T. "Regenerative medicine and 3D bioprinting for human space exploration and planet colonisation". Journal of Thoracic Disease, 10(Suppl 20). July 2018. ↩

  10. ISS National Laboratory. "In-Space Production Applications: Advanced Manufacturing and Materials". Accessed June 10, 2022. ↩