As we begin to set our sights on new, distant planets for human exploration, including Mars, the way we construct and manufacture spacecraft must change. Today, spacecraft and satellites are built with bulky and heavy components necessary to withstand the rigors of launch. But these same bulky parts that protect more delicate and sensitive components add unnecessary size and weight, slowing movement and increasing the amount of propellant needed to move the spacecraft through space.
Getting spacecraft further into deep space requires lightweighting, streamlining designs, and building spacecraft and satellites with only components that are optimized for the mission. One way to accomplish this is to manufacture spacecraft and satellites in space, where they won’t need to survive the incredibly harsh and destructive launch process.
Around the globe, engineers are exploring the ways in which 3D printing could enable the manufacturing of lighter, mission-optimized structures in orbit. But space is getting increasingly crowded, and the more we build, the more we risk leaving something behind, such as a fragment or a 3D printing failure. The creation of additional “space junk” could have catastrophic ramifications, threatening to collide with and damage one of the more than 10,000 satellites in orbit.
We recently sat down with Dr. Gilles Bailet, FRAeS, Lecturer in Space Technology at the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering, to learn more about the NextSpace Testrig project, which was designed to take the risk out of 3D printing and manufacturing in space.
GovDesignHub (GDH): What is the NextSpace Testrig? Who is the facility open to, and how did the concept for this facility come together?
Dr. Gilles Bailet: The idea behind the NextSpace Testrig stems from 3D printing becoming a major force in the space industry, particularly for making spacecraft lighter. Traditionally, we build spacecraft on Earth, optimizing every component to survive launch – fitting within the rocket fairing and withstanding the extreme acceleration and vibrations of liftoff. But that approach doesn’t make sense when you consider that each launch only lasts about ten minutes, while the spacecraft will spend five to twenty years in orbit.
Instead of putting all our effort into optimizing spacecraft for launch, we’re exploring the idea of printing spacecraft components directly in space. That allows us to rethink what a spacecraft should truly look like. The optimal shape for space isn’t a compact ‘fridge-like’ box – it’s a large, two-dimensional surface that maximizes area for solar panels, antennas, sensors, or whatever else the mission needs.
If we’re going to start manufacturing in space—which we broadly refer to as ISAM, or In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing—we need to make sure it’s safe. The materials must be space-compatible, and the printing processes need to work reliably in that environment. I was approached to help tackle this challenge.
Space manufacturing is projected to become a $1 trillion industry by 2040. In the U.S., we’re already seeing hundreds of millions of dollars being poured into solving this and bringing the first commercial products to market. But in Europe, those efforts haven’t been on the same scale, and we risk falling behind, especially in terms of patents and innovation monopolies.
So, one of our goals was to establish independent access to in-space 3D printing capabilities for the UK and the rest of Europe. That meant starting with safety and validation. With support from the UK Space Agency, we launched the NextSpace Testrig project, where we’ve designed a unique test facility to do exactly that.
GDH: Why was it important to create a facility like this, and what makes its capabilities unique compared to traditional materials testing environments? What makes the NextSpace Testrig the first of its kind globally?
Dr. Gilles Bailet: The truth is, we don’t know how many of these 3D printed materials behave once they’re exposed to the space environment. Initially, we thought this would only apply to parts printed directly in space, but we quickly saw there’s strong demand to understand how Earth-printed 3D components perform in orbit as well. That opened up a much wider field of relevance for us.
“Space is critical for everyday modern life, including communications, navigation, weather monitoring, and security. If we can unlock this new model of construction in space, it could lead to a generational leap in the quality of life on Earth.” –Dr. Bailet
With the NextSpace Testrig, we built a large vacuum chamber that simulates space-like conditions. We can reach deep vacuum levels—about the same pressure you’d find at 400 kilometers altitude, which is where the International Space Station operates. Inside, we also apply thermal extremes—cycling samples from -150°C to +250°C—so we can mimic the full range of conditions a spacecraft might experience.
Once a part is placed inside this simulated space environment, we apply mechanical loads—such as torque and stress—and start measuring key parameters like fracture strain. This is entirely novel data that has not been done before.
The traditional approach to qualifying space parts is based on bulk materials shaped through conventional manufacturing, like CNC machining. That process doesn’t come with the same risk of manufacturing defects that untested additive manufacturing introduces – microscopic voids, weak points, or irregularities inside the printed part.
What’s missing from the current ‘state of the art’ is an understanding of how these additive materials respond to space conditions, not just in theory, but in practice. And that’s what this facility allows us to explore.
“Before we start printing in space, we need to focus on the issues we’re already facing in how we qualify parts made on Earth. That’s why this new test facility isn’t just a luxury – it’s essential.” –Dr. Bailet
This isn’t just a technical evolution – it’s a societal one. Space is critical for everyday modern life, including communications, navigation, weather monitoring, and security. If we can unlock this new model of construction in space, it could lead to a generational leap in the quality of life on Earth.
With the NextSpace Testrig, we’re not just pushing forward with cool tech and patents – we’re making sure it’s safe. That’s crucial. We’re not just doing this for innovation’s sake. We’re doing it to ensure that space remains sustainable, useful, and secure for everyone. And I truly believe we’re going to see this evolution unfold within the next three to five years.
GDH: What makes this testing facility so important today? What risks exist for the in-orbit manufacturing industry today?
Dr. Gilles Bailet: Unfortunately, this is a high-stakes, high-growth market. Startups and commercial players are driving the momentum, which means there’s a big push to be first and move fast for investors. That can lead to risky approaches, such as launching hardware without understanding the implications.
In the case of in-space manufacturing—printing a 1-meter or even 10-meter beam directly in orbit for example—the consequences of failure aren’t just financial. If that beam fractures because of undiagnosed material weaknesses, it could create millions of pieces of space debris. That debris poses a serious threat to satellites, spacecraft, and the sustainability of the entire orbital ecosystem. It could also rattle investor confidence and stall funding for future innovations.
So we realized that this can’t just be about who gets there first. It has to be about who gets there safely. That’s why we started by focusing on materials already being printed on Earth and flown to space. Even here, we uncovered some worrying results.
For instance, we tested a widely used material—Nylon PA12—which is already in orbit as part of current spacecraft structures. Depending on where the part was printed, we saw fracture strain reductions ranging from 30 percent to 43 percent. That’s a massive drop in performance, which is nearly half of the expected mechanical integrity. This doesn’t mean we cannot use those materials in space; we just need to change the design rules.
Before we start printing in space, we need to focus on the issues we’re already facing in how we qualify parts made on Earth. That’s why this new test facility isn’t just a luxury – it’s essential. It allows us to rethink how we design and qualify parts for space, not by eliminating materials from consideration, but by changing the way we understand and use them.
Additionally, the NextSpace Testrig also offers a much faster path to validating new space technologies here on Earth, under realistic conditions, before committing to a launch. That includes vacuum, extreme temperature cycling, and mechanical stress testing, which we refer to as ‘torture testing.’
These tests are crucial because 3D printed parts won’t behave the same way in space as they do on Earth. If you’re designing a boom or antenna to be printed in orbit, you need to know how thick it should be, how much load it can take, and how the space environment might affect its performance. That’s the kind of data we’re now able to generate—and it’s data the industry has never had before.
GDH: Do you see Glasgow playing a larger role in the global space economy thanks to facilities like this?
Dr. Gilles Bailet: Glasgow plays an important role in the global space industry. In fact, outside of the U.S. West Coast, it’s the top city in the world for spacecraft manufacturing. That’s largely thanks to the rise of small satellites – CubeSats and PocketQubes in particular. We’ve developed a strong local ecosystem with deep expertise in building these compact, efficient spacecraft.
“What’s missing from the current ‘state of the art’ is an understanding of how these additive materials respond to space conditions, not just in theory, but in practice. And that’s what this facility allows us to explore.” –Dr. Bailet
We’re not just building satellites; we’re also manufacturing rockets. These aren’t the massive rockets you might see from NASA or SpaceX, but smaller launch vehicles capable of delivering payloads between 300 and 1,000 kilograms to orbit. And that’s exactly what we need for this new wave of space activity.
The model we’re pursuing isn’t about launching spacecraft the size of buses. It’s about sending only the high-value elements—like sensors, humans, or instruments—and then 3D printing the rest in space. Smaller rockets are perfect for that approach. They support a more economical, safer, and ultimately more sustainable model for operating in orbit.
One concern with falling launch costs is that, without proper checks, it could lead to more debris – people might take shortcuts or skip testing to save time and money. But in Scotland, we’re focused on doing things right. We’re building a space sector that enables bold innovation while maintaining safety and responsibility.
What’s truly special here is the full end-to-end capability. We have everything from early-stage research and wild ideas in university labs to fully operational spacecraft and launch capabilities. And it’s all happening in a country of just 5.5 million people.
To learn more about the NextSpace Testrig and how advanced manufacturing can benefit your industry, click here. and how advanced manufacturing can benefit your industry, click here.
Featured image courtesy of University of Glasgow, depicting Dr Gilles Bailet, Matthew Deans, and Charlie Patterson of the James Watt School of Engineering with the NextSpace Testrig.
