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If humanity wants to establish colonies in space, it will need the right equipment to survive without earth's resources. And activity in the field of space manufacturing is growing. In 2014, the first 3D printed object in space was created on the International Space Station by Silicon Valley company Made in Space. It's still early days for the technology. Some 3D printing techniques are virtually impossible without gravity. They use powders or liquids that could simply end up floating around.
But the rewards of successful space manufacturing could be enormous. Instead of waiting for new supplies to be sent to a spacecraft on a rocket from earth, parts could be supplied on-board on demand. Building structures on other planets could lay the foundations for space settlements, and unlock the potential of extraterrestrial minerals and raw materials. Freedom from the pull of gravity is also exciting experts in medical science. US company TechShop aims to create human cardiac cells on the International Space Station by 2019.
In a process called bioprinting, it will use bio-ink, consisting of stem cells and nutrients, to create human tissue. Studies show that low gravity environments help specially programmed stem cells move towards becoming new heart tissue. On earth, bio-ink would simply turn into a puddle.
Telecoms could also benefit. Made in Space wants to make fibre optic cables with greater data capacity in space to eliminate tiny flaws that cause signal loss. These can occur during production on earth because of its strong gravitational pull. The optical fibre could be the first product made at an industrial scale in space following the recent launch of the manufacturing system on a SpaceX rocket. But with each rocket launch costing upwards of $60 million, extraterrestrial factories are likely to remain experimental and small-scale for the time being.
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