Asteroid mining company introduces first 3D-printed object from space rock metals

The asteroid mining company Planetary Resources recently announced that powdered metals from an actual asteroid have been used to 3D print an object for the first time. The company said the 3D-printed material could lead to the development of a technology that could print materials in zero-gravity environment for space exploration.

Presented at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the spacecraft prototype is composed of pulverised, powdered and processed metals from a meteorite found at the Campo Del Cielo impact near Argentina. Planetary Resources worked with the company 3D Systems to create the object. The used meteorite contains iron, nickel and cobalt, which are natural materials similar to refinery grade steel.

"It is the first part ever 3D-printed with material from outer space and is reminiscent of a design that could originate from a 3D printer in the zero-gravity environment of space," Planetary Resources said in a statement.

Aside from mining valuable metals from space rocks, Planetary Resources is aiming to harvest water from asteroids in space. The company wants to use asteroid water to produce better rocket fuel.

Harvesting water in space could help promote in-space "gas stations" that will allow spacecrafts to fill their tanks while travelling in space. Planetary Resources aims to achieve this goal within the next 10 years.

The company already has a tiny spacecraft in the Earth orbit called Arkyd-3R. It was deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) in July 2015 to help test software, avionics and important technology to guide asteroid mining probes in the future.

Aside from Planetary Resources aiming to use 3D printers in space, the NASA also believes 3D printing could improve deep-space human exploration. The technology would help spaceships and off-Earth outposts create the needed supplies and spare parts instantly without waiting for materials to be delivered from Earth, according to Space.com. NASA has recently worked with the US-based start-up Made In Space to launch a 3D printer to the ISS and test how this kind of technology will work in microgravity.