NASA Studies Laser Beam Welding for In-Space Manufacturing

NASA has been exploring the power of additive manufacturing since the late 1990s. Initially, they were 3D printing with plastics, and in the early 2000s, they began using metal for prototypes. By the 2010s, NASA was 3D printing rocket engines. Now, they are testing the viability of using laser beam welding—a technology that can achieve additive manufacturing—in space.

NASA has done welding in space before, but not since the 1973 Skylab mission. With the demand for space manufacturing on the rise, NASA is turning to welding in space again, but this time using laser beam welding. Specifically, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the Ohio State University in Columbus aim to simulate in-space manufacturing with a laser beam welding collaboration. The initiative is funded partially by Marhsall and has spanned over two years, involving students and professors from Ohio State and engineers across NASA centers.

Scientists and engineers from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, participating in the laser beam welding study in August, stand in front of the parabolic plane used for testing. From left, Will Evans, Louise Littles, Emma Jaynes, Andrew O’Connor, and Jeffrey Sowards. Not pictured: Zachary Courtright. (Photo credits: NASA, Casey Coughlin)

Laser beam welding is a type of directed energy deposition, often used for repairs or creating parts from scratch. The process involves a laser melting material, typically metal, while it is deposited by the nozzle. For space manufacturing, laser beam welding and other allied processes can be used for repairs but could also build structures too large to fit current launch payload volumes. Welding in space could accelerate the building of large habitats in low Earth orbit, spacecraft structures for astronaut safety, and more.