In 2024, an ESA-led technology demonstrator aboard the International Space Station successfully 3D-printed stainless steel in microgravity for the first time. Its first print was a small S-shaped commissioning line—not a ready-to-use spare part—but the experiment is a significant step toward making metal tools and components on future missions.
What was the first metal object printed in space?
The first commissioning print was a small stainless-steel S-curve made on 30 May 2024. NASA later described it as the first metal 3D print in space. ESA called it a test line that successfully concluded the printer’s commissioning; it was not a finished replacement part.
ESA subsequently reported the first full metal shape from the printer in August 2024. These reference samples were intended for analysis and comparison with matching prints made on Earth.
How did the printer make metal parts in orbit?
The ESA Metal 3D Printer is a bespoke technology demonstrator developed with Airbus and partners. It was launched to the ISS in January 2024 and installed by ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen in the European Drawer Rack inside the Columbus module.
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The system uses a laser-based melting and feed process to deposit liquefied stainless steel. Cranfield University contributed the melting-process hardware, laser source, delivery optics, feedstock storage and feeding system.
Why the first prints were small
ESA’s initial reference prints were each smaller than a soda can and weighed less than 250 g. ESA estimated that each would take about two to four weeks to print. Scheduled operation was limited to four hours a day because of noise constraints aboard the station. Those figures describe this demonstrator and its ISS operating conditions, not a general production rate for space manufacturing.
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Why metal printing in space matters
For a mission near Earth, crews can often rely on cargo deliveries for equipment and replacement parts. That becomes harder on longer journeys to the Moon or Mars: a needed component may not be available locally, and waiting for resupply may be impractical. An on-demand metal printer could eventually let crews make certain spare parts, repair equipment or create mission-specific tools when they need them.
The key word is could. The 2024 prints demonstrated that the process can produce metal shapes in microgravity; they did not show that crews can already manufacture any required part on demand. A useful flight part would also need to meet its design requirements, be inspected and be suitable for its intended use.
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How ESA is checking the printed samples
The first full sample returned to Earth in February 2025 and was sent to ESA’s ESTEC laboratory. ESA’s plan was to compare it with an identically shaped Earth-made sample produced on the same printer before it was sent to the ISS. Other samples were assigned to the European Astronaut Centre and the Technical University of Denmark.
ESA’s documented analysis includes microscope inspection and CT scanning to look for internal pores. The sample can then be machined into test pieces for tensile tests on dog-bone-shaped specimens and bending tests on smaller cylinders. These checks help assess how the material formed in microgravity compares with the ground reference.
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In a later program update, ESA said three samples had returned for analysis and that the team was comparing their quality and material characteristics with ground prints. ESA described the results as a way to improve reliability and guide future in-orbit metal printing—not as certification of routine, flight-ready replacement parts.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this milestone does—and does not—prove
- Demonstrated: an ESA technology demonstrator successfully printed stainless-steel shapes in microgravity aboard the ISS.
- Still being assessed: how the printed material compares with equivalent Earth-made samples and what the results mean for reliability.
- Not established by the demonstration: routine production of certified replacement parts, or the ability to print any part a crew might need.
The milestone is less about an astronaut printing a finished spare part today and more about learning whether metal manufacturing can become a dependable capability beyond Earth. That requires more than getting a shape to print: the parts must also be tested, inspected and shown to meet the demands of their intended application.
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