NASA invests $1.5M for Auburn’s new Space Manufacturing Initiative

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently invested $1.5 million toward the Auburn University Space Manufacturing Initiative.

This new initiative will focus on a circular manufacturing ecosystem where local resources can be reused for manufacturing new parts and systems on demand.

Keep reading to learn more about the initiative + what Auburn University’s role is within the bigger picture of the industry.

Space Manufacturing Initiative

In-Space Manufacturing capabilities for structural and functional parts — tools, electronics, and sensors — is an inevitable part of future space activity.

Auburn’s new initiative is led by Masoud Mahjouri-Samani, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and Brock Birdsong, director of research at the Auburn University Applied Research Institute.

The need for in-space manufacturing impacts multiple missions, Mahjouri-Samani said, including in orbit, on a surface (moon/Mars) and in deep space.

“Scarcity of resources in space limits the use of current manufacturing technologies. Properly disposing of the out-of-mission and scrap parts in space is also a huge issue. These challenges demand manufacturing technologies that operate in space environments and, most importantly, can reuse and recycle the available resources.”

~ Masoud Mahjouri-Samani

Auburn + AM technology

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are potential manufacturing candidates for in-space manufacturing needs. However, these technologies require well-defined sources of materials such as powders, sheets, and filaments for the printing process.

Enter the Auburn University Space Manufacturing Initiative, which will use the funding to employ and develop new AM technologies that print parts and devices utilizing local resources. The approach hopes to address the space environment’s scarcity and low gravity challenges for 2D, 2.5D, and 3D printing of functional parts using local resources.

Brock Birdsong said by leveraging the university’s relationship with NASA and its world-class innovation in laser-based additive micro- and nano-manufacturing technologies, Auburn is in a strong position to advance in-space manufacturing efforts.

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