Research blasts off towards future space factory development
Published: 16 January 2025
Researchers at a Scottish university have taken one small step towards a future where orbital factories can 3D print future tech on demand in space. Dr Gilles Bailet, of the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering, has been awarded a patent for a new system which overcomes the challenges of 3D printing in zero-gravity. His technology has recently been rigorously tested during a series of trips on a research aeroplane known as the ‘vomit comet’.