Thought Leadership -ESA Leverages 3D Printing to Advance Space Missions

Source: ESA/NASA, used by permission

Space exploration has always been expensive and complex, and the European Space Agency (ESA) continues to face these challenges as it works to advance Europe's space capabilities, ensure access to space, and strengthen industry competitiveness. So, how does the agency plan to be a full participant in improving current space operations in orbit and extending humanity's reach to the moon, Mars, and beyond?

In addition to other approaches and technologies, additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing) is an indispensable technology in achieving this vision. Additive manufacturing enables engineers to rapidly produce and iterate on components and to manufacture shapes and configurations that would be impossible to create with traditional tools.

From flight application testing to off-world manufacturing, additive manufacturing is empowering ESA engineers and designers to improve mission performance and set the stage for upcoming exploration efforts in several innovative use cases, says Thomas Rohr, Head of Materials, Manufacturing & Assembly Section at ESA

Flight Application Testing

Flight application testing refers to the process of evaluating whether a component's materials, design, and manufacturing method can meet the rigorous demands of a specific space mission. At ESA, this testing ensures that parts produced with advanced techniques like additive manufacturing are safe, reliable, and mission-ready.

For Benoit Bonvoisin, materials and process engineer at the ESA, success means guiding designers in selecting materials and processes that can, first, survive a mission and, second, improve their outcomes. 

"A designer will come to us with a part design for a specific application—for example, structure or propulsion—on a given flight," Bonvoisin explains. "Our job is to analyze it and ensure that the additive layer manufacturing machine, the material it's made from, and the application requirements work well enough together that we can qualify it and ensure it can perform safely and reliably in space. We scan the parts with X-rays for any internal defects and perform a non-destructive inspection and failure analysis to make sure that it is compliant with our standards, with the right level of quality, and not at risk of in-orbit failure."

In these situations, Bonvoisin also seizes the chance to conduct research and development activities so the team doesn't have to rely on existing materials and processes, which can potentially enhance the machine's or materials' performance. "We look at different technologies, such as multi-laser systems, in situ monitoring of the process, new alloy systems, and surface-finishing technologies," he says. "We're looking for opportunities to make parts faster, cheaper, and with better-controlled quality."

This, says Bonvoisin, is where additive manufacturing shines. "It's great for three things: making things lighter, accelerating your procurement time, and merging functions. It's highly effective at creating complex shapes and embedding internal features, enabling us to build designs that are impossible with any other technology, like fully integrated, complex engines—a system-level assessment on how merging functions in one part will give the biggest performance improvement when using additive manufacturing. These new tools enhance overall mission performance and, in the long run, push the entire industry forward."

However, Bonvoisin adds a caveat: "Additive manufacturing is not a fix-all for everything," he stresses. "Designers need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the technology involved, the entire system, the individual parts and how they interact with each other, the materials they are made of, and how material properties can potentially drift over time. This requires designers to carefully control their processes to account for any internal defects the parts could tolerate, so they can test accordingly and ensure that the parts will survive, despite those defects."  

Supply Chain Stabilization

Historically, maintaining and improving space operations—especially the materials needed and the manufacturing of parts—have depended on complex global supply chains. As geopolitical instability increases, it can threaten these critical networks. Metal prices can soar. A key parts manufacturer can suddenly become unavailable. This kind of volatility can unexpectedly delay missions that have taken months or years to plan and prepare.

These potential issues reveal another example of how Bonvoisin is leveraging the advantages of additive manufacturing. "For example, if you planned to use a specific part made of a certain form of raw material (e.g., forging) and the supplier becomes unavailable, this can significantly impact your supply chain. Additive manufacturing is more versatile, as once you have a feedstock of raw material, many shapes and applications can be produced."

In this way, the unique capabilities of additive manufacturing let Bonvoisin quickly adapt to supply chain instability and keep ESA missions on schedule.

Off-World Manufacturing

"Since the beginning of crewed space exploration, space agencies have had to be very selective about the supplies and hardware included on missions," says Bonvoisin. "However, when you are considering not only several months of travel each way to Mars but also colonizing the Martian surface, you need so many different tools that you couldn't possibly take them all in their finished form with you."

This is why additive manufacturing technology is a can't-miss solution for any space agency preparing for lunar and interplanetary exploration and colonization. Bonvoisin explains, "Instead of bringing 200 tools, you need to bring only the material and a printer in order to make whatever you need at the moment, whether it's a specific tool or a replacement for a broken part."

But what if astronauts cannot transport all the materials they might need?

ESA is also exploring methods that could convert regolith—the loose, mixed dust found abundantly on the surfaces of the moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies—into useful construction material for building infrastructure through additive manufacturing, supporting sustainable exploration. 
Advenit Makaya, the advanced manufacturing engineer overseeing this effort at ESA, says, "Most of these processes have been demonstrated in a laboratory environment and are still relatively conceptual. They now need to be proven in a relevant space environment. Having said that, however, when we talk about manufacturing technologies and processes that should be included in interplanetary space exploration, additive manufacturing is the most investigated because of its versatility."

Conclusion

When it comes to space operations and exploration, Bonvoisin enjoys the seemingly endless array of problems to solve: "In space, there's always something new to solve: new environments, new components, new challenges."
However, he emphasizes that success in any of these efforts depends on how well the team and designers understand the mission's requirements, which affects the parts they are working on, the materials involved, and the capabilities and limitations of the technologies they use. 

"When you're just starting with additive manufacturing, begin with a simple, low-criticality application," recommends Bonvoisin. "This will help you truly understand how it works, how the process operates, and how to achieve your desired quality. Once you overcome this initial learning curve, you can then move on to more complex applications and start embedding several functions in more critical applications."

As ESA prepares for long-duration missions and interplanetary infrastructure, additive manufacturing is emerging as a key enabler, from accelerating design cycles to supporting in-situ fabrication. For Bonvoisin and his colleagues, the promise lies in enabling innovation at every stage of a mission.

Benoit Bonvoisin is an experienced materials and process engineer specialized in failure analysis, additive manufacturing, and composite manufacturing for space applications. He is interested in the behavior of materials during atmospheric re-entry and analysis of recovered space debris. Benoit is a strong operations professional with a master's degree focused in Materials Engineering from the Institute of Engineering Sciences of Toulon and the Var (ISITV).Benoit Bonvoisin is an experienced materials and process engineer specialized in failure analysis, additive manufacturing, and composite manufacturing for space applications. He is interested in the behavior of materials during atmospheric re-entry and analysis of recovered space debris. Benoit is a strong operations professional with a master's degree focused in Materials Engineering from the Institute of Engineering Sciences of Toulon and the Var (ISITV).