China completes its first metal Additive Manufacturing in space
China has announced that it successfully conducted its first metal Additive Manufacturing in space in January. The experiment was performed aboard a recoverable payload developed by the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The payload was launched on the Lijian-1 Y1, a suborbital reusable commercial spacecraft developed for space tourism by CAS Space, based in Guangzhou.
After the Lijian-1 Y1 reached approximately 120 km, the on-board Additive Manufacturing machine autonomously produced metal components in the microgravity environment.
“This successful mission marks a transition of China’s space-based Additive Manufacturing technology from ‘ground-based research’ to a new phase of ‘space engineering verification,’ elevating its overall technological capability to the world’s forefront,” CAS stated in a press release.
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The research team responsible for the project had to overcome a series of core challenges, including stable material transport and forming under microgravity, full-process closed-loop control, and high-reliability coordination between the payload and the launch vehicle.
“This breakthrough will strongly propel the development of China’s space manufacturing technology and serve as a key enabler for future space infrastructure development,” CAS added.
Following the experiment, the payload capsule was reported to have made a safe parachute-assisted landing. Scientists have now obtained first-hand data, including the dynamic characteristics of the melt pool, material transport, solidification behaviour, and the geometric precision and mechanical properties of space-made parts.
