WASHINGTON - NASA has partnered with three U.S. companies under the agency's Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) program to create prototypes of a space-based, on-demand fabrication capability.
The selected companies are: Interlog Corporation of Anaheim, California; Techshot, Inc. of Greeneville, Indiana; and Tethers Unlimited, Inc. of Bothell, Washington. Combined funding for the awards is approximately $10.2 million. These companies will have 18 months to deliver the prototype, after which NASA will select partners to further mature the technologies.
Earlier this year, NASA sought proposals for ground-based prototypes of a multi-material fabrication lab, or FabLab, under Appendix B of the NextSTEP-2 Broad Agency Announcement. With these new partnerships, the agency is prepared to take the effort to the next level.
In-space manufacturing is seen as a major component for exploration deeper into space. Manufacturing components in space will allow components, which are more compact than the finished products, into space to be assembled. It also opens the possibility of manufacturing certain products for use on Earth. For example, fiber optic cables built in the vacuum of space are more efficient than those built on Earth.
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